NGO: Number of Road Accidents Increased by 10% in Georgia
Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) Georgian Alliance for Safe Roads says that the number of road accidents in January-June 2018 increased by 10% compared to the same period of last year.
The Chairperson of the NGO, Eka Laliashvili says that the state must take more steps to solve the problem.
“During the first six months of the year, road accidents increased by 10% and the number of injured increased by 12% compared to 2017,” she told Imedi TV.
However, she underlined that the number of deceased has not increased this year.
"We had an expectation that 2018 would be better in terms of road accident statistics, because many reforms were implemented in 2017, including the 100-point driving license reform, contactless patrolling and installation of smart street cameras,” the NGO Chair said.
Laliashvili explained that one of the main problems is the execution of the adopted Road Safety Law. She said the 100-point driving license system is more or less effective but added the surveillance cameras fail to detect the majority of violations.
“Because of this, Georgian drivers don't expect to be punished for violations, which promotes road accidents,” she added.
The representative of the Georgian Alliance for Safe Roads says that the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) of Georgia did not install enough smart cameras.
“The MIA claims a reform is underway but when we have such alarming statistics in terms of road accidents, it becomes clear the process must be accelerated,” she added.
Laliashvili believes that road safety must be a top priority in the country, adding the mortality rate is highest in this regard. She also added that safe roads will be an additional stimulus for tourism development in the country.
“If road and transportation safety is not ensured in the country, it will negatively affect tourism development,” she underlined.
Several days ago, Georgia’s State Audit Office (SAO) stated there are risks that the majority of street rule violations remain unpunished, adding the executive mechanism of fines is also weak.
A survey conducted in the audit process revealed that drivers frequently or often violate traffic rules but are rarely fined.
The document submitted to the Parliament by the State Audit Office reads that a total of 13,018 traffic accidents occurred in 2016-2017, which resulted in the deaths of 1,098 people and left 18,412 injured. In 13,018 traffic accidents, in which 1,232 people were injured and 22 died, the guilt of particular persons could not be established.
SAO added that the proper state agencies fail to effectively reveal the facts of speeding, because the number of radars is insufficient and often cannot be used due to technical malfunctions.
In mid-June, SAO also said that along with the absence of sufficient radar speed guns, a large number of street surveillance cameras do not work.
It underlined that 1,100 of the cameras installed are technically faulty or do not work at all. As for the remaining cameras that work, operators control and monitor only a small number of them.
In order to fully control the streets, the MIA needs 3,000 smart cameras in total. However, the SAO says only 100 cameras have been bought and installed.
MIA Analysis and Strategy Department Head Beka Liluashvili does not agree with the Georgian Alliance for Safe Roads, saying the statistics of road accidents are better in 2018 compared to the previous years.
“The number of deaths, injuries or road accidents has declined. We need to realize that the acute problem we have had for years cannot be solved in just a 6-month period,” he added.
Liluashvili explains that from June 2017-June 2018, the number of road accidents decreased by 6% and the number of deaths and injuries by 8% and 8.5% respectively.
He added that as of June 21, 2018, GEL 14.5 million worth of fines was imposed by street cameras while 9 million GEL was transferred to the state budget this way.
"If we compare it to last year, the same amount of fines was imposed throughout the whole of 2017, so the improvement is obvious,” he claimed.
The Georgian MIA and the Ministry of Economy launched the mandatory inspection of vehicles in Georgia on January 1, 2018 and large engine vehicles (+ 3.5 tons) and passenger vehicles (+8 seats) were inspected at the first stage.
The second round of inspection started July 1 for vehicles belonging to state agencies and legal entities.
Vehicle testing will be carried out step-by-step and inspection of all vehicles will be finished in about two years.
By Thea Morrison