The Vitebsk Regional Prosecutor's Office conducted an inspection of the state of road traffic safety on the roads of Vitebsk

The Vitebsk Regional Prosecutor's Office conducted an inspection of the road traffic safety status on the roads of Vitebsk, and the compliance with the requirements of Directive of the President of the Republic of Belarus of 11.03.2004 No. 1 "On measures to strengthen public safety and discipline" (hereinafter - the Directive) in organizing road traffic.

An analysis of the road traffic accident situation in Vitebsk shows that in 2016, 105 road traffic accidents (hereinafter - RTAs) were registered in the city, in which 6 people died and 107 were injured. For 4 months of the current year, 15 RTAs were committed in Vitebsk (compared to 30 in the same period of 2016), in which 18 people were injured (compared to 31), and no fatalities were registered as a result of RTAs (3).

In accordance with the legislation and the powers granted, the Department of Internal Affairs of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee's Traffic Police systematically conducts surveys of the street road network of Vitebsk for compliance with technical standards for ensuring road traffic safety.

Based on the survey results, proposals for the improvement of the street network and measures to increase the level of road traffic safety have been repeatedly submitted to the Vitebsk City Executive Committee, and the Vitebsk City Housing and Communal Services Unitary Municipal Production Enterprise.

At the same time, the results of the inspection conducted by the regional prosecutor's office showed that the condition of certain public roads in Vitebsk does not meet safety requirements. Of particular concern are road sections where traffic conditions have not met safety requirements for a long period of time (Sennenskaya Street, 14th Polotskaya Street, 11th Zadorozhnaya Street, 4th Zadorozhnaya Street, etc.). The road section near OAO "Vitebsky Meat Processing Plant" (Beshenkovichskoye Highway, 46) and OAO "Moloko" Vitebsk (Beshenkovichskoye Highway, 48) does not meet safety requirements.

Road traffic accidents involving pedestrian collisions have been repeatedly recorded on M. Gorky Street, in the vicinity of houses 63 and 65.

The prerequisites for RTAs are the concentration on this short section of the road with significant traffic intensity

of public transport stops: two tram stops and one bus stop. Tram stops are not equipped with boarding areas, as a result of which passengers disembark directly onto the roadway. Also, there is an unregulated pedestrian crossing at this location.

The location of the public transport stops "Znamya Industrializatsii" OJSC, "Technological College" on Gagarin Street, with three lanes of traffic, significantly impedes the movement of vehicles and creates a hazardous situation.

Facts of improper organization of road traffic safety near educational institutions still occur.

In this regard, the absence of properly equipped sidewalks and pedestrian paths near schools and preschools plays an important role.

For example, approaches to state educational institutions "Secondary School No. 33 of Vitebsk", "Secondary School No. 44 of Vitebsk", "Secondary School No. 44 of Vitebsk" and others are unsafe due to the absence or improper condition of sidewalks.

Documents studied by the Department of Internal Affairs Traffic Police of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee during the inspection indicate that the written information from the Department of Internal Affairs Traffic Police to the Vitebsk City Executive Committee, the Vitebsk City Housing and Communal Services Unitary Enterprise regarding deficiencies in traffic organization, with specific substantiated proposals and requirements for their elimination to ensure safety, were not always implemented.

The City Executive Committee pays insufficient attention to creating conditions for parking, picking up and dropping off passengers near social and commercial facilities.

The practice of installing the "No Stopping" road sign near educational institutions, commercial facilities, etc., is not always justified. There are cases of installing such signs in places where there is no need for them.

The indicated violations and deficiencies negatively affect the state of traffic safety and the effectiveness of preventive measures to prevent road accidents.

The causes of the identified violations were formalism in the organization of work, improper performance by officials of their

of duties, and the contributing factors include the lack of proper departmental control over the state of legality in the city.

Based on the results of the inspection, the regional prosecutor's office submitted a representation to the Chairman of the Vitebsk City Executive Committee, demanding to ensure proper consideration of the proposals received from the State Traffic Inspectorate of the Department of Internal Affairs of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee for improving road conditions and organizing traffic.

In the absence of funds for the implementation of the proposed measures within the proposed timeframe, determine another specific timeframe for their implementation, informing the traffic police about it, developing other temporary measures together with the traffic police aimed at preventing road traffic accidents, or other measures taking into account real possibilities. Strengthen departmental control over the work of subordinate organizations and officials responsible for the maintenance of the road fund and the improvement of road conditions. Consider the issue of bringing to justice persons guilty of the identified violations.

I. Kryukovskaya, I. Yanukovich.