Road Accidents Up in Georgia

TBILISI - Official data of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) shows that road accidents in Georgia in 2016 increased by 7 percent compared to 2015.

However, although the number of accidents increased, the number of deaths in road accidents in Georgia decreased by 3 percent in the same period. The number of injured increased by 8 percent.

In total, 6,939 road accidents were recorded throughout the country in the last year, with 581 deaths and 9,951 injuries.

In Tbilisi, there were a total of 3,264 registered accidents, with 98 deaths and 4,173 injuries.

Pedestrians are also more at risk than in the past. 154 pedestrians died throughout Georgia in 2016, 59 of them in Tbilisi. 2,159 pedestrians were injured. The number of pedestrian deaths throughout the country increased by 4 percent compared to 2015, while the number of injured increased by 8 percent in the capital.

Deputy Interior Minister Shalva Khutsishvili said last week that drunk drivers remain among the top three causes of road accidents.

"30,174 people were deprived of their driver’s licenses last year. Accordingly, we promise that the driving license exam will become more difficult to receive in future."

At present, the driving license exam consists of two parts: theory and practice. The theory component involves a computerized test. After passing that, examinees are required to take a practical exam, which means driving a car in a special exam area equipped with sensors.

Khutsishvili said that MIA has studied the experience of several foreign countries, and that several models for a new exam are currently under consideration.

By Thea Morrison