During New Year holidays, road incidents were numerous, with totals indicating a serious toll on safety. More than 1,700 traffic accidents occurred, resulting in 291 fatalities and over 2,600 injuries. The volume of crashes highlights a broad safety challenge that could affect efforts to reduce road deaths in the early months of the new year across diverse regions.
Pedestrian crashes were a significant portion of these events, with 427 incidents reported. Of these, 55 people died and three were children. A total of 413 pedestrians sustained injuries of varying severity, including 50 minors. Among them, 145 crashes happened on crosswalks, while 282 occurred away from marked crossings.
There were also many crashes involving drivers who did not have valid licenses. In total, 93 crashes fit this category, resulting in 24 deaths and 123 injuries.
Alcohol played a role in a notable share of the holiday crashes, with approximately 120 incidents linked to driving under the influence from January 1 to January 8. These crashes led to 12 fatalities and 173 injuries.
Several crashes involved minors, numbering 277 incidents. These events produced 24 child fatalities and 310 injuries. The majority of these minors were passengers in vehicles (258 injuries and 21 fatalities), while three children were killed and 50 were injured when acting as pedestrians.
Recommendations
Traffic authorities urge careful driving when a child is present in the vehicle. Drivers should stay highly focused, reduce speed, avoid sudden maneuvers, and ensure proper child restraints are used for every ride with children aboard.
Parents and educators are encouraged to have clear talks with young travelers about road rules. Children should cross only at designated pedestrian crossings, wait for the green light, and seek assistance from adults when crossing the street if needed.
Source: traffic police
Illustration: AGN “Moscow”
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