The second online conference of the "Road Safety Talks" series was held - this time it concerned the safety of vulnerable road users on national roads. The discussion, which took place on March 11, 2021, was a continuation of the series of discussions that the Campaign "For Safe Roads" held on the anniversary of the signing of the Manifesto for Safe Roads, which was attended by 26 Ukrainian organizations and initiatives working in the field of road safety. ( You can read the text of the Manifesto at the link .)

As reported by CEDEM , the new discussion was dedicated to the safety of vulnerable road users on national roads. The following issues were discussed:

• Profile of injuries and mortality of vulnerable road users on national roads: statistics, trends, risk factors;
• Infrastructure solutions to improve the safety of vulnerable road users: actual, planned, successful and unsuccessful;
• Options for action to influence the problem: infrastructure, educational, legal, etc.
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In particular, the discussion was attended by members of the organizations that signed the Manifesto, First Deputy Chief of the Patrol Police Oleksiy Biloshitskyi , Head of Ukrinfraproject Kyrylo Khomyakov , Head of the Traffic Safety Department of the Road Operation Department of the State Road Agency of Ukraine Oleksandr Golotsvan , Head of the Traffic Safety Center of the State Enterprise “DerzhdorNDI” Lyudmila Nagrebelna , Head of the Kopychynets’ka AH Bogdan Kelichaviy , Head of the Youth Council of the Dmyzka AH Vita Kostyuk , and Assistant to the People’s Deputy Myroslava Chornousko . Thus, the participants of the discussion noted that according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, in 2020 there were 7,641 road accidents with victims and fatalities involving pedestrians. 1,198 pedestrians died in them. Another vulnerable group are cyclists. After all, unlike drivers and passengers of cars, they are not protected by the body of the car, airbags and seat belts. That is why it is necessary to create infrastructure solutions (when it comes to the construction and overhaul of roads) that would guarantee the safety of these categories. 

“In total, about 40% of those killed on the roads last year were pedestrians and cyclists. And this figure, 40-41%, was in Ukraine 10 years ago. So the number of pedestrians and cyclists killed in our country is identical year after year. The situation is consistently bad,” noted Viktor Zagreba , head of the Vision Zero NGO. So, one of the steps towards road safety is speed control, because exceeding it, according to the WHO, is one of the key factors in mortality and injuries on the roads. The issue is especially relevant for settlements through which highways pass. According to Oleksiy Biloshitsky, it must be solved by control. This year, they plan to install at least 220 cameras that will record violations. 

“There is an immediate opportunity and need to install cameras at the expense of territorial communities. The cameras clearly prove their effectiveness. In places where they are installed, there are three times fewer accidents with fatalities and injuries. And over time, these statistics will only improve,” he concluded. 

Watch the video of the online discussion at the link The event was held by the CEDEM organization as part of the “For Safe Roads” Campaign. The “For Safe Roads” campaign is an advocacy campaign aimed at reducing deaths and injuries on the roads of Ukraine. Initiated by the Center for Democracy and the Rule of Law in partnership with the NGO “Vision Zero”, U-Cycle and brings together international, Ukrainian experts, representatives of the legislative and executive branches.