The traffic police of the Vitebsk region are tightening control over drivers' passage through pedestrian crossings

October 8, Vitebsk / Sergey Kochetov - BELTA /. The traffic police of the Vitebsk region are tightening control over drivers' passage of pedestrian crossings. This was announced today at a press conference by the acting head of the traffic police department of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee's Internal Affairs Directorate, Oleg Kosov, as reported by a BELTA correspondent. In the first nine months of 2010, 524 traffic accidents were registered in the region, of which about 40% were collisions with pedestrians. While the total number of traffic accidents decreased by approximately 1.5%, the proportion of accidents involving pedestrians increased by about 5%. This problem is particularly relevant for large settlements, where drivers often ignore traffic rules and do not yield to pedestrians at crossings. For example, in Vitebsk, collisions with pedestrians accounted for two-thirds of the total number of registered traffic accidents (129) in January-September, and 4 people died in these accidents at pedestrian crossings. In the regional center, traffic police officers identified almost 1.2 thousand violations of pedestrian crossing rules, but this is only the visible part of the iceberg. During preventive raids, similar violations were recorded every 10 minutes. In connection with the current situation, the traffic police department is intensifying its efforts to prevent such violations. Traffic police officers are conducting raids to control the passage of pedestrian crossings, with traffic police officers working in civilian vehicles and using video recording of violations. If a driver violates the rules of passage of such a crossing and creates an emergency situation, the offender is held responsible specifically for creating an emergency situation, which entails a stricter penalty, including the revocation of their driver's license. In addition, due to the reduction of daylight hours, the traffic police are strengthening control over the use of reflective elements by pedestrians and cyclists. In January-September, 95 people died on the roads of the region, which is almost 30% less than in the same period of 2009. 55 traffic accidents involving children were registered, of which 5 incidents ended tragically. 50 children received injuries of varying severity. 66 traffic accidents occurred due to drunk drivers, in which 11 people died and 70 citizens were injured. The problem of drivers leaving the scene of traffic accidents remains relevant for the region. In nine months, 50 such cases were recorded, in which 16 people died and 42 residents of the region were injured. -0-