News Release
21.01.2010
MW. In one of our earlier broadcasts we already mentioned issues concerning the activity of the State Traffic Safety Inspectorate. However, as the analysis of letters we receive shows this theme is still urgent.
"Safety on roads, problems and ways to solve them" is the theme of today's conversation with our visitor, the Minister of Interior of the Russian Federation Rashid Nurgaliev.
- Rashid Gumarovich, lst Saturday employees of the State Traffic Safety Inspectorate celebrated their professional holiday. Therefore, the whole previous week was anyway devoted to the activity of the State Traffic Patrol Department. How would you assess the situation on the Russian roads for today?
Minister. Speaking about the traffic situation as a whole, it certainly improves. This year continues the pleasant trend of all traffic accident rates we had in 2009. This is characteristic of both the total traffic accident rate, the number of those who perished on roads, and the child death rate. However, when taking absolute figures we are still far from what is called ‘ideal'. Therefore, the units of the State Traffic Patrol Department now face the problem of strengthening the preventive work which should yield further positive results.
MW. It has been recently spoken so much about the problems caused by drunkards driving cars...
Minister. To be fair I shall notice that this year we see a reduction in the number of traffic accidents involving the drunken state in the country. But we cannot be fully satisfied as long as these cases still occur. The drunkard at the driving wheel is a criminal. The society should develop this attitude to the drunk drivers. Then our efforts will be more efficient, and our joint efforts will yield greater results.
MW. There is a federal target program "Increase of traffic safety in 2006 - 2012"...
Minister. Yes, this program is in action. It is our vector of development scheduled in 2005 and it is aimed at the eradication of problems on roads. The measures provided for by it are being taken. One cannot but notice positive results in terms of a reduction of the traffic injury rate and the death rate on roads. As a whole, the Federal target program has already proven its efficiency. The government has already set a task of developing a new similar program for the period 2013 - 2020. This document will be certainly different from the present concept. The new strategy will take account of all results reached by 2012 and issues of the traffic safety maintenance which are only starting to advance to the foreground.
MW. For certain the issue of perfecting the sense justice of the citizens is far from being the least significant matter among the preventive actions...
Minister. It is a very important matter, a key matter. Each of us participates in the traffic. It is what time dictates to us. Having a motor vehicle is not a luxury any more, but an important element of the everyday activity. No matter who participates in the traffic: a driver, a pedestrian, a passenger, we all bear the same responsibility for what occurs on the road surface.
Therefore the culture of behavior on road should be developed from infancy. This should be done at all levels: in families, in educational institutions, in driving schools and so on. This culture should be a standard of breeding which characterizes any person in the society. The culture of driving reveals many other things about those who drive cars.
The analysis shows that children know traffic safety rules better than adults do. This proves yet again that if we really start shaping the legal consciousness since childhood, we will have another driving culture soon. As early as in childhood we should form normal attitude to each other as participants of the traffic. This is our goal we'll do our best to reach.
MW. I would like to touch upon another urgent matter: the relationship of drivers and employees of the State Traffic Safety Inspectorate...
Minister. It is no secret that the intercourse of employees of the State Traffic Patrol Department and drivers is one of the most conflict-rich spheres in the relationship of the militia bodies and the citizens. Today, the Ministry of Interior of Russia is developing a range of measures to release the tension in this respect. First of all, this includes the transition to an automated system of photo and video recording of traffic safety rules infringements which will minimize any personal contacts.
There are still two parties to any conflict. Therefore, drivers should have due understanding for actions of employees of the State Traffic Patrol Department. Inspector only do their job, which is suppression of offences.
I also would like to urge both our employees and drivers to be more tolerant to each other, to have proper understanding for each other. This is only possible when both drivers and employees of the State Traffic Patrol Department know their functions, rules, laws and the Constitution in detail...
MW. Rashid Gumarovich, let us come back to a positive matter: as we already said, employees of the State Traffic Safety Inspectorate celebrated their professional holiday on Saturday. What would your congratulations and wishes to those who "serve the Russian road" be?
Minister. Employees of the State Traffic Patrol Department are representatives of the power, and certainly they should be an example of worthy and decent behavior on roads. The profession of the employee of the State Traffic Patrol Department is very important and necessary. It gains more advantages from the point of morality and proficiency. All our employees have met the professional holiday on duty. And today, I would like to sincerely thank them for their difficult and strenuous mission which is fraught with life risks but which is necessary for the stability, the law and order on roads.
I wish all of you, dear employees of the State Traffic Patrol Department, happiness, good luck, well-being, professional growth and above all, sound health!
MW. Thank you, Rashid Gumarovich, for the warm words and the substantial conversation. The team of the radio station "Militia wave" joins the congratulations. Time to put a ‘to be continued' mark then. See you next week.
Radio broadcast "Conversation with the Minister",
provided by radio station "Militia wave"
www.mvd.ru