Since the beginning of the year, the number of accidents has increased in 13 regions on road sections where fixed cameras have been installed. Officials on the ground explain this by the “features” of accident settlement and the abolition of fines for exceeding the average speed. But some experts blame the commercial reason for installing most cameras on the roads.
But back to the statistics. During 9 months of 2022, there were more accidents under cameras due to:
- 19% in the Moscow region,
- 45% in the Chelyabinsk region,
- 71.4% in the Irkutsk region,
- 2.3% in the Ryazan region,
- 41.7% in Kamchatka
- 300% in Crimea.
There are regions where the number of road traffic accidents under cameras has decreased, but where they are more likely to die. These are Moscow (+33%) and Tatarstan (+66%).
There are several reasons for the increase in accidents. For example, if the driver has noticed a camera or received a warning about it from the navigator, he will be distracted from the road and start following the speedometer needle. At the Road Safety Science Center, the Interior Ministry says the restraint systems themselves cause accidents when drivers suddenly change direction and speed while noticing the camera. Dissatisfied with the affairs on cameras and in the prosecutor general’s office, as well as in the leadership of the traffic police.
“Initially there was an idea to deploy photo and video recordings, and as people get used to it, they will violate less, gradually remove the cameras,” Kommersant is quoted as saying by Mikhail Chernikov, chief of the traffic police of Russia . – And we have bet and will continue to bet. It is not good. There should be cameras only where there is danger.”