Over the past day, 342 road accidents have occurred in Russia.

Over the past day, 342 road accidents have occurred on Russian roads, in which 29 people were killed and 411 injured. This was reported to Izvestia on July 4 by the State Traffic Inspectorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia. The 26 dead were passengers and drivers, the ministry said.

As a result of 68 accidents, 24 of which occurred at pedestrian crossings and 44 outside their area of operation, three pedestrians were killed and 71 more people were injured. Among the injured were 26 child pedestrians, 16 of whom were injured when crossing the roadway outside in designated places.

16 accidents involving buses were recorded, in which 17 people were injured, including two children. Nine bus accidents were caused by traffic violations committed by drivers of other vehicles.

Over the past day, 72 accidents involving minors were registered, in which 72 young road users were injured, including 24 passengers, six cyclists and 14 motor transport drivers. One child, a pedestrian, was killed.

In the Penza region, on 2 km of the Akhuny highway — the entrance to Leonidovka station, a car driver ran over a 13-year-old schoolboy who was walking with friends unaccompanied, crossing the roadway out of sight of a pedestrian crossing. The boy died running across the road in front of a nearby vehicle.

The traffic police reminds parents of the need to be more attentive to their children. The lack or negligence of parental control over the behavior and leisure of children, especially in the evening, often leads to injuries or deaths of young road users. It is imperative to use retroreflective elements on children's outerwear to improve the visibility of young pedestrians on the road, the department recalled.

"Motorists should be more careful both on the roads near settlements and cities, and in the settlements themselves. The behavior of children and the elderly when crossing the roadway can be unpredictable, so drivers need to take special care when approaching intersections, pedestrian crossings, railway crossings, park areas and other problem areas, from where pedestrians, cyclists or users of personal mobility equipment who neglect their own safety issues may unexpectedly appear on the road for the driver. We recommend that you slow down to the minimum speed in advance in order to have time to react and stop the vehicle in case of a sudden change in the road situation," said Police Colonel Sergey Hrantskevich, head of the Department for Road Safety Promotion and Prevention of child traffic injuries at the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation.

"Continuity is the key to road safety"

The head of the Russian State Traffic Inspectorate, Mikhail Chernikov, in an interview with Izvestia, spoke about how the new national project will reduce accidents on the roads.

On the eve of July 3, amendments to the Administrative Code of the Russian Federation were submitted to the State Duma for consideration, providing for the return of a 50% discount on fines for traffic violations.