Risky season: why the number of accidents increases in summer
With the onset of the warmer months, the accident rates on the roads begin to grow steadily. The Traffic Police explain this annual trend by increasing the number and duration of trips: the holiday season is beginning, and many motorists often neglect basic safety rules in an effort to get on vacation as quickly as possible. Izvestia found out how to avoid traffic accidents when going on vacation.
Summer growth
Long-term observations and statistics are inexorable: with the onset of the warmer season, the accident rate curve begins to grow rapidly. According to the Scientific Center for Road Safety of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, last year the maximum number of accidents (more than 17 thousand accidents) was recorded in July, and since April there has been a sharp increase in accidents, and in July and August the number of accidents, compared with March, increased almost twice. A similar pattern has been observed in previous years: since about April, there has been a sharp increase in the number of car accidents every year.
The annual spike in accidents in summer is primarily due to an increase in the number and duration of trips, according to the State Traffic Inspectorate. Many people go on vacation by car or go out of town for the weekend. Along with traffic violations by drivers (incorrect choice of speed, overtaking in prohibited places or performing this maneuver without full confidence in its safety, ignoring the requirements of signs, markings, traffic lights, etc.), banal driver fatigue often leads to "summer" accidents.
Driving a vehicle in a painful or tired state is prohibited by traffic regulations. Therefore, before going on a long-distance trip, it is necessary not only to make sure that the vehicle is in good working order, but also to plan the route in advance and calculate the time so that the driver on the way would definitely have the opportunity to rest and recuperate, recommends the deputy head of the Department of road safety promotion and prevention of child traffic injuries GUOBDD Russian Interior Ministry Police Colonel Anton Belan.
— We strongly advise motorists to make small stops in recreation areas, gas stations and other safe places every three to four hours. At the same time, it is necessary to plan the trip in such a way that the driver spends no more than eight to nine hours knocking at the wheel, the expert warns.
One of the most popular summer vacation destinations in our country are the southern regions and the Black Sea coast, says Igor Morzharetto, a member of the Presidium of the Public Council under the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation. In summer, there is traditionally an increase in traffic flow towards the south, he emphasizes. In the last three years, the situation has been further aggravated by the still-closed airports in the southern regions of Russia, which leads to an even greater increase in traffic flow on routes leading to the sea, the expert notes.
— As practice shows, many people believe that their vacation begins only when they find themselves on the long-awaited beach. Therefore, in an effort to get to the sea as quickly as possible, drivers often neglect basic safety rules: they start to drive with all their might, commit thoughtless and dangerous overtaking. All this is most often accompanied by severe fatigue of drivers trying to get to their destination at all costs," Igor Morzharetto told Izvestia.
In his opinion, you can avoid risky trips by simply rearranging your attitude to the rest itself, making the car trip itself a part of it. For example, by planning one or two stops with small excursions along the way.
— For example, on the way to the Black Sea, you can stop for a day in Rostov-on-Don or its surroundings, get acquainted with its sights, and taste delicious dishes of Cossack cuisine. For those who decide to travel by car to the Urals, Kazan can be an excellent intermediary point. If desired, you can find such stops in any direction. This will allow you to take a break from the road and continue your journey with renewed vigor," notes Igor Morzharetto.
Explain and prompt
The regions through which the main stream of motorists traditionally passes know firsthand about the annual increase in the load on local roads and are preparing in advance for an increase in traffic flows. For example, in July last year, a peculiar record was recorded on the section of the M-4 Don highway in the Rostov region: more than 125 thousand cars per day, despite the fact that the monthly average is about 25-30 thousand units of transport.
— It is likely that this year the record will be repeated, or even a new one will be set. We are ready for this development: patrolling of the main highway, along which the main traffic is moving, has been reinforced by additional traffic police crews operating in the so—called shuttle mode," the propaganda department of the State Traffic Inspectorate of the Rostov Region told Izvestia.
The main task of such patrols is to promptly respond to possible accidents and ensure safety on the most difficult sections of the highway, especially where repairs are underway, the department noted. According to Rostov traffic police, drivers who are tired of a long journey often stop right on the side of the highway to take a break. However, such stops are fraught with very serious consequences.
— We only welcome the desire of drivers to take a break from the road — this is the right decision, allowing motorists to regain their strength in order to safely continue their journey. However, stopping on the side of the highway often leads to collisions of vehicles moving at high speed with a stationary car. Therefore, when patrolling the highway, traffic police pay special attention to such vacationing drivers, telling them where to recuperate in a safe place," the Rostov Region State Traffic Inspectorate noted.
Also, within the framework of monitoring the condition of drivers, Rostov police officers, together with doctors and children's animators, constantly carry out preventive measures on the highways aimed at identifying motorists driving "on their last breath." Traffic inspectors pay special attention to transport from other regions of the country: drivers of such cars are offered to check their pulse and blood pressure in an ambulance, they distribute water, and they tell them about places where they can relax on the road. Meanwhile, children traveling in a car, under the supervision of animators, undergo a short training in the rules of safe behavior on the road on improvised playgrounds.
Similar raids and preventive measures with the participation of doctors are also being carried out in the Krasnodar Territory, neighboring the Rostov region. However, in addition to distributing water and talking about the need for rest behind the wheel, Kuban police officers also tell motorists about the rules of road safety, taking into account regional peculiarities.
— For example, traffic police warn those who are moving towards Tuapse and Adler about the danger of parking near mountain rivers: in bad weather, the water level in them rises very quickly, and the flow can wash away the car — such cases, unfortunately, are not uncommon. For those traveling to Crimea, the police tell them about the need to undergo a mandatory inspection when passing the Crimean Bridge, and advise them on how to speed up this procedure. And if a large number of vehicles accumulate at the inspection points, they tell drivers when it is better to drive up to the ferry and where to rest while waiting for fewer cars to be searched," the propaganda department of the State Traffic Inspectorate of the Krasnodar Territory told Izvestia.
Taking care of children
Strict compliance with traffic regulations is the key to a safe trip, the State Traffic Inspectorate emphasizes. And if children go on a road trip with adults, then increased attention and caution are required from the driver, the traffic police remind. In this case, the driving style should be as calm and careful as possible, eliminating the need for overtaking and other potentially dangerous maneuvers, Anton Belan noted.
— If there are young passengers in the car, then the use of child restraints, in accordance with the height and weight of the child, is a mandatory requirement. Children under the age of seven should only travel in a child safety seat. If a child is older than seven but younger than 12 years old, it is recommended to carry him in a child restraint device. If the height and weight of such a child do not allow the use of a child safety seat, then the young passenger should be in the back seat of the car, fastened with a seat belt. At the same time, the belt itself must be adjusted so that its diagonal strap runs over the chest, and in no case over the neck," Anton Belan reminded.
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