"Continuity is the key to road safety"
The national project "Safe, high-quality Roads", which was in force until 2025, has significantly improved the situation with accidents and deaths on Russian highways. On the day of the 89th anniversary of the State Traffic Inspectorate, Izvestia was told by the head of the Main Directorate for Road Safety of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, Police Lieutenant General Mikhail Chernikov, what new challenges the traffic police will have to solve within the framework of the new national project "Infrastructure for Life" that replaced it.
— Mikhail Yurievich, what is the current situation with accidents on the roads? What are the most pressing issues at the moment?
— The situation is not easy. According to the results of the first five months, over 44.4 thousand accidents occurred on the roads. Road accidents are 0.7% more than a year earlier. At the same time, despite a slight increase in the number of car accidents themselves, we see a decrease in the severity of their consequences. In particular, since the beginning of the year, the number of people killed in road accidents has decreased by almost 2%.
However, more than 4,6 thousand people who died on the roads in five months is a lot. The scariest thing is that these are young, able-bodied people who lost their lives due to their own recklessness or irresponsible behavior on the road by other road users.
Recently, additional factors have appeared that significantly affect the accident rate. This includes the redistribution of traffic flows from the west to the southeast and Asian directions, which makes roads unable to cope with the significantly increased load on them. And there has been a significant increase in passenger traffic to southern destinations due to the closure of most airports for the third year. Do not discount the moral and physical aging of the fleet, certain difficulties with the supply of spare parts and components for vehicles — this also affects the accident rate.
Nevertheless, there are indicators that have been steadily declining over the past few years, and at a very high rate. For example, we are pleased to see a further 13% reduction in the number of accidents involving drunk drivers. Constant work on the prevention and prevention of driving under the influence of alcohol is yielding results. There has also been a 9% decrease in the number of accidents on federal highways, and a 12% decrease in car accidents related to oncoming traffic, largely due to engineering improvements to the most dangerous sections of roads.
— At the end of last year, the national project "Safe High-quality Roads" (BKD) was completed. Have you achieved your goals?
— It succeeded. The main target indicator of the national project, which characterizes the level of fatality as a result of an accident "Transport risk" (the number of deaths in an accident per 10,000 vehicles), has been reached. In six years, deaths on Russian roads have decreased by more than 20% — from 18.2 thousand people in 2018 to 14.4 thousand people in 2024. These dry statistics hide thousands of saved lives and unharmed destinies of people — this is the main result of the BKD national project.
— What was the key factor or direction within the framework of the national project that made it possible to achieve these results?
— It is impossible to single out one thing: all the positive effect that we are seeing now is a consequence of the integrated approach to the tasks of reducing accidents on the roads implemented in the BKD. The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, together with the Ministry of Emergency Situations, the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Ministry of Education and Science, the Ministry of Health and other departments, as well as regional and municipal authorities, have implemented a set of measures to reduce the risks of people dying on the roads.
Of course, legislative support is also visible, aimed at improving administrative measures against traffic violators, control over the condition of cars and roads. New standards have also been introduced and are being successfully applied regarding classification and technical requirements for road markings, as well as for fencing road construction sites. Updated and approved requirements regarding the use of technical means of traffic management — road signs, traffic lights, etc. Organizational and methodological support has been provided to detachments of young traffic inspectors. Conditions have been created for the dissemination of best practices in teaching children the skills of safe behavior on the road. Various social campaigns have been conducted to draw public attention to the problems of accidents. The public transport fleet has been significantly updated in the regions.
In addition, thanks to the BKD national project, it was possible to significantly strengthen the material and technical base of the State Traffic Inspectorate units. Over the past six years, the vehicle fleet of traffic police units has been equipped with modern patrol cars, which were equipped with medical equipment to provide first aid to victims of road accidents, and special devices for monitoring the condition of highways and vehicles have appeared at the disposal of traffic inspectors.
At the same time, I would like to emphasize that it was possible to achieve the planned results in reducing accidents and deaths on the roads, despite the fact that the implementation of the BKD national project was carried out under unprecedented foreign policy and economic pressure on Russia.
— The BKD national project has been replaced by the new national project "Infrastructure for Life". What measures to improve BDD are planned to be implemented as part of the new national project, what are its differences from the previous one?
— The main difference of the new national project is that the planning horizon has shifted. In May last year, the President of Russia set a goal to reduce deaths from road accidents by one and a half times by 2030 and twice by 2036 compared to 2023.
At the same time, the task of reducing accidents and deaths on the roads is closely linked to creating the most comfortable and safe environment for people to live in, especially in key settlements and the main road network.
It is very important that the national project "Infrastructure for Life" maintains continuity with its predecessor. This will allow its participants to continue implementing measures to reduce deaths and accidents on highways. A key component of the new plan is the new federal project "Road Safety", which, like the previous one, will be administered by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia. In December 2024, his passport was approved, and a target transport risk indicator was set, which by 2030 should not exceed 2.24 deaths in road accidents in relation to 10,000 vehicles. The project provides for a targeted set of measures aimed at reducing accidents, including the development of new and improving the effectiveness of existing legal, organizational, infrastructural, technical and other measures to ensure road safety.
— You said that the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia will administer the federal project "Road safety". This doesn't mean that the agency alone will deal with accidents on the roads, does it? Will cooperation with other agencies continue?
— Of course, it will continue: this is the meaning of our activity. It is simply impossible to reduce the number of accidents and other accident rates by using only one agency. It is possible to achieve the goals set by the head of state and fixed in the new national project only through joint efforts of ministries and departments. That is why, in addition to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, six federal executive authorities have been identified as participants in the implementation of the federal project. These are the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Emergency Situations, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Industry and Trade and Rosavtodor. The area of responsibility is defined for each of the departments.
For the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, this is the overall management of the implementation of a federal project, as well as improving the level of logistical support for State Traffic Inspectorate units, control and supervisory activities, and the introduction of modern technologies.
For the Ministry of Transport, this is an increase in the safety of automobile transportation of passengers and cargo. For the Ministry of Health, it is an exchange with the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia of information on issued medical certificates on the presence or absence of medical contraindications or restrictions to driving for drivers and candidates for drivers. For the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations, it is the development of a system for providing assistance to victims of road accidents. For the Ministry of Industry and Trade, it is an increase in the level of automation and constructive safety of vehicles. Rosavtodor's area of responsibility includes improving traffic safety on federal highways.
The Ministry of Education plays an important role in the new project: one of the department's tasks is to reduce child traffic injuries and involve the younger generation in promoting safe behavior on the road. This includes the development of youth driving schools and youth driving groups, systematic work with parents and ensuring the safety of children during transportation.
Based on the experience of previous targeted programs and national projects, children will learn how to safely participate in traffic, and drivers will receive recommendations on how to avoid the dangers of various risks while driving as part of new social campaigns. The quality of assistance to victims of road accidents will also be improved.
— How is the process of digitalization of public services through the State Traffic Inspectorate going, what are the future prospects for this area of work?
— The development and expansion of the functionality of digital services is one of the priorities of the State Traffic Inspectorate. Already, a significant part of the public services provided by the agency are available in digital form. Through the Gosuslugi portal, you can sign up for vehicle registration, obtaining or exchanging a driver's license in a matter of minutes by choosing a convenient time and date. On the official website of the State Traffic Inspectorate, you can use the services for checking fines, get information about the history of vehicle registration, about finding a car wanted or pledged by a bank, about the car's participation in an accident and the issued diagnostic card, etc.
Measures are planned to develop the Federal Information System of the State Traffic Inspectorate (FIS GIBDD-M), so that vehicle owners will be able to obtain information from government records on all vehicles they own as of an arbitrary date. In addition, on the basis of the unified information and analytical system for road safety of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia (UIAS BDD), it is planned to form a full-cycle system for collecting information on each accident, the formation of a so-called electronic file. This will allow us to additionally assess the effectiveness of measures taken to eliminate the causes and conditions of car accidents, which should also have a positive impact on the accident rate. Work on digitalization will continue in close cooperation with the Ministry of Finance of Russia, as well as with other interested ministries and departments.
— What is the main focus of the Traffic Police right now?
— At the moment, our primary task is to reduce child traffic injuries. Unfortunately, against the background of a general decrease in the number of accidents involving minors, we are seeing an increase in injuries to children and adolescents who drive vehicles and personal mobility devices. This is primarily due to the availability of various means of transportation for them: SIM, the so—called sports equipment, "motorcycles without a vehicle passport" - pitbikes, cross-country motorcycles, sports and teenage ATVs, buggies and other "technical toys".
Often, with their relatively low cost, parents buy such vehicles for their children as a gift, for example, for good studies or just for fun. They do not require registration with the State Traffic Inspectorate, and there is no need for training and obtaining a driver's license. However, few people think that the management of such equipment is possible only off public roads — on specialized highways and closed territories.
The main mistake of parents is that they do not realize how traumatic it is to drive such a "toy", they believe that they are acquiring almost an analogue of a bicycle, just more powerful, that this is not a car that needs to be taken seriously to learn how to drive.
Children and adolescents aged 10, 12, and 15 simply cannot cope with the role of a vehicle driver due to the psychophysiological characteristics of their development, lack of proper experience, and ability to predict the development of the situation. And if they do have some skills (again, not without the help of adults), on the contrary, they consider themselves too experienced and make risky maneuvers on the road. They do not know the traffic regulations regarding giving driving advantages, following the order of travel, observing safe speed limits, rules of maneuvering, distance, giving turn signals and much more. Because of this, tragedies often occur on the roads.
Parents need to make it clear that motor vehicles are not toys. To operate this technique, a child must reach a certain age, attend a motorcycle school, take an exam at the State Traffic Inspectorate and obtain an appropriate driver's license. I emphasize that there should be no access to driving without a license, as well as without a motorcycle helmet, motorcycle equipment.
There is another serious problem with child accidents: 78.3% of young pedestrians who got under the wheels at night did not have retroreflectors (retroreflectors) with them or on their clothes — the drivers simply did not notice them. Most of these accidents could have been avoided if adults, firstly, had not allowed children to go outside unattended and, secondly, had taken care of the mandatory use of IEDS by the child.
At the same time, according to statistics, the death toll of child passengers is 2.8 times higher than that of child pedestrians. And in 90% of cases of accidents where child passengers were injured, the drivers of the cars where they were are to blame: most often, these are parents, close relatives who, because of their recklessness, did not bother to put the child in a child restraint or fasten him with regular seat belts. In addition, despite the fact that there is a small passenger in the car, drivers often exceed the speed limit, make risky overtakes, and run through red traffic lights... This is the height of parental irresponsibility!
That is why we are now paying special attention to propaganda work with both children and adults as part of ongoing preventive measures, parent-teacher conferences, social campaigns and actions. We try to cover all categories of road users of all ages as widely as possible, to inform everyone about the need to comply with traffic regulations as rules for the preservation of human life. And here the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Health, Rosmolodezh, the All-Russian Public Children's and Youth Organization for the promotion of road safety "Young Traffic Inspectors" and other departments are helping us a lot, which through their channels are also actively involved in this work.
— You mentioned the SIM. What is the situation with these vehicles?
— It's complicated. Statistics on accidents with SIM began to be conducted quite recently. Nevertheless, according to the results of last year, more than 4.4 thousand were registered. Accidents involving SIM, which is 42.8% more than in 2023. 54 people died in such incidents, including six children. More than 4.5 thousand people were injured, including over 1.1 thousand minors. More than a quarter of such incidents occurred at the intersections of roadways — these are exits from adjacent territories and intersections. 37.6% of SIM accidents were recorded on sidewalks, footpaths and pedestrian zones. Another 17.6% of incidents occurred at pedestrian crossings.
SIM is a relatively new means of transportation. And in many ways, the current situation with them is related to the legal immaturity of regulating the use of personal mobility equipment, as well as the lack of infrastructure for this technology. SIM users are often forced to move along sidewalks, creating risks for pedestrians. The other extreme is their movement along the roadway, where they already come into conflict with motorists. Solving this problem requires comprehensive measures: the development of appropriate infrastructure for SIM (bike paths, dedicated lanes, separate zones), as well as the introduction of special programs for SIM users in educational organizations.
Of course, it is impossible to fully create the necessary infrastructure for SIM in one day. This means that where it is still developing poorly or not at all, it is necessary to introduce certain restrictions on kicksharing at the regional or municipal level. And there are already examples of regions where road safety issues are brought to the fore and certain restrictions on the services of SIM rental services are established.
— At the beginning of the conversation, you mentioned the innovative methods and technologies that are currently being used by the State Traffic Inspectorate. What is it about?
— First of all, it is, of course, the active use of digital technologies and their further expansion. This allows not only to increase the availability of public services provided to citizens through the State Traffic Inspectorate, but also the efficiency of their provision. They also bring the work of all our departments to a new qualitative level.
In addition to digital technologies, modern innovative technical solutions and tools are also appearing in the arsenal of the State Traffic Inspectorate. For example, this year, within the framework of the federal project "Road Safety" of the national project "Infrastructure for Life", state contracts were concluded for the supply and equipping of traffic police patrol cars with hardware and software complexes with the function of recognizing vehicle registration plates. They are designed to identify cars that are wanted in a stream, and are also able to identify drivers who are deprived of the right to drive. In addition, such complexes are designed to record administrative traffic violations.
— What are the primary goals and objectives facing the State Traffic Inspectorate now?
— The most important task is to fulfill the instructions given last year by the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin to reduce deaths from road accidents by one and a half times by 2030 and by two times by 2036 compared to 2023. This will require consolidation of society and all authorities at the federal, regional and municipal levels. I am convinced that by joint efforts we will be able to achieve our planned goals — there are all the prerequisites for this.
— Today marks the 89th anniversary of the establishment of the State Traffic Inspectorate. This is the professional birthday of all employees of the service. What would you like to wish the birthday boys?
— What do you usually wish a person when congratulating them on their birthday? Health, success, happiness, good luck. But separately, I would like to wish all my colleagues family well-being. After all, everyone who serves in the State Traffic Inspectorate, whether they are traffic police inspectors, employees of propaganda departments, road and technical supervision, registration and examination departments or any other units, are, in fact, warriors who guard the safety of our roads. Happy holidays to you, dear colleagues! I wish you all good health, success in life and in service, and well-being to you and your loved ones! And I wish all road users prudence, caution, mutual respect and safe roads.
The material was created as part of the implementation of the federal project "Road Safety" of the national project "Infrastructure for Life".
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