The campaign "Show Mutual Understanding!" will be held from March 17 to 18 in the Postavy district

From March 17 to 18, an event to prevent road traffic injuries among vulnerable road users (pedestrians, cyclists, drivers of horse-drawn vehicles) will be held in the Vitebsk region.

This event is aimed at preventing road traffic accidents involving pedestrians. The need for such preventive work is due to the fact that accidents involving pedestrians traditionally remain among the most common in the region, usually resulting in severe consequences for those involved.

Thus, in 2022, 135 road traffic accidents involving pedestrians occurred in the Vitebsk region, in which 31 people died and 111 sustained injuries of varying severity.

The main causes of pedestrian road traffic injuries are their trivial disregard for traffic rules. The most common violations among pedestrians include: crossing the roadway in an undesignated place, unexpectedly entering the roadway from behind a vehicle, structures, trees, or other obstacles, moving along the edge of the roadway in the same direction as vehicles, and not using reflective elements. A large number of accidents involving pedestrians are explained not so much by their ignorance of traffic rules, but by a lack of proper self-discipline, and in some cases, simply aggressive behavior on the street. Expert studies show that in 90% of cases, pedestrians consciously violate traffic rules. In this regard, the State Automobile Inspectorate recommends that pedestrians increase personal responsibility for their behavior on the road, develop skills for constant monitoring of changing road conditions, and study traffic rules relevant to them (the rights and obligations of pedestrians are set out in Chapter 4 of the Traffic Rules).

Another factor contributing to accidents involving pedestrians is drivers' disregard for the rules for crossing pedestrian crossings and intersections. The State Automobile Inspectorate reminds drivers that at unregulated pedestrian crossings, the driver of a vehicle must yield to pedestrians crossing the roadway. According to the Rules, if a vehicle has stopped or slowed down before a pedestrian crossing, drivers of other vehicles moving in adjacent lanes in the same direction may continue driving only after ensuring that there are no pedestrians in front of that vehicle. Also, drivers should be guided by the rule that when turning left or right, they must yield to pedestrians crossing the roadway at pedestrian crossings, and in their absence, along the lines of sidewalks or shoulders.

The staff of the State Automobile Inspectorate of the Postavy District Department of Internal Affairs urges all road users to treat each other with mutual respect, to be extremely careful on the road, especially in the dark and when visibility is poor, and to strictly observe traffic rules.