The state traffic Inspectorate has calculated the number of accidents during the New Year holidays

From January 1 to January 11, 2026, according to preliminary data, 2,329 car accidents occurred on the country's roads, in which 348 people were killed and 3,515 injured. 289 of the dead were drivers and passengers of vehicles. This was reported to Izvestia on January 12 by the State Traffic Inspectorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia.

527 accidents involving pedestrians were recorded, in which 59 people died, including one child. 503 people received injuries of varying severity, 75 of them minors. There were 119 accidents involving buses on the country's roads, in which nine people died, and another 209 road users, including 12 children, needed medical help. 52 bus accidents were caused by traffic violations committed by their drivers.

So, in the Tula region, on 11 km of the Bogoroditsk —Epiphany regional highway, a 56-year-old driver of an intercity bus carrying 30 passengers from Vologda to one of the rural settlements of the Tula region lost control in a snowfall and drove off the road, after which the bus overturned. As a result of the accident, four passengers were hospitalized with injuries, and 10 more people were sent for outpatient treatment after receiving medical care.

The problem of driving under the influence of alcohol remained extremely relevant over the past holidays. Over the New Year's weekend, 162 road accidents occurred, involving drivers who were intoxicated or refused medical examinations. As a result of such incidents, 12 people died, 226 more were injured, including 27 children.

In the coming year, the State Traffic Inspectorate will continue to fight drunk drivers, the department said. Events aimed at identifying drivers in a state of intoxication will be held regularly throughout the country, including in large cities and regional centers. The traffic police called on all road users not to remain indifferent to the problem of drunk driving, reporting to the police about drivers who behave inappropriately on the road. Traffic police inspectors will take all necessary rapid response measures based on the received signals.

In the first 11 days of this year, 371 accidents involving minors occurred on Russian roads, resulting in 20 deaths and 461 injuries to children under the age of 16. 19 of the dead young road users were passengers of vehicles. The deaths of underage passengers are mainly related to injuries sustained as a result of driving into oncoming traffic and a head-on collision with other cars. In some cases, children were transported in car interiors without using child restraints and seat belts, often in the arms of adults.

So, on the evening of the first day of the new year in the Republic of Chuvashia, on 58 km of the federal highway A-151 Tsivilsk — Ulyanovsk, a 50-year-old passenger car driver, who had previously been deprived of his license for refusing to undergo a medical examination for intoxication, drove into the oncoming lane in a prohibited place, where he collided with another passenger car driven by a 37-year-old the motorist. Both drivers and a young passenger of the second car, a girl born in 2025, who was transported in the back seat in her mother's arms, were killed in the accident. Three other passengers of the same vehicle, including a six-year-old boy who was also in the back seat without using a child restraint and seat belt, were injured and hospitalized.

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The State Traffic Inspectorate also drew the attention of motorists to the need to reconsider their driving style, taking into account weather and seasonal factors, as well as to be extremely attentive and careful on the road.

"While driving in a car with children, it is important to use the safest driving style possible. Do not be distracted while driving, choose a speed limit taking into account the weather conditions, observe a safe side interval and distance between vehicles, and refrain from risky driving, overtaking and driving into oncoming traffic, even in permitted places. The driver should concentrate as much as possible on driving the vehicle, avoid sudden maneuvers, and make sure to use seat belts and child restraints for transporting children," 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 Russia.

The ministry recalled that the transportation of underage passengers under the age of seven should be carried out only with the use of child restraints. If young passengers are older (up to 12 years old), they can be transported using child restraints or seat belts, and in the front seat of a passenger car — only in child restraints.

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Amendments to the Administrative Code of the Russian Federation, which established new sanctions for violations of safety rules when transporting children, entered into force on January 9. Now the imposition of an administrative fine on the driver will amount to 5 thousand rubles (previously - 3 thousand rubles); on officials — 50 thousand rubles (previously — 25 thousand rubles); on legal entities — 200 thousand rubles (previously — 100 thousand rubles).

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