The EU’s strategic framework
in terms of road safety over 2021-2030 has been designed to halve the number of
fatalities and serious injuries on European roads by 2030. Its objective for
2050 is zero fatalities and serious injuries.
A look at the preliminary
figures for the first six months of last year indicate a slight growth by 2% in
the number of road accident fatalities as compared to the same period in 2020,
a year affected by the impact of the pandemic over road circulation.
As compared to the years
2017-2019, to the 19% significant drop, have also contributed the new EU
policies and safety rules. The situation has improved in Romania as well. While
in 2019, the country was ranking first in the bloc in terms of road accident
fatalities, 96 per one million people, a year later the country came fifth in
the same ranking after Germany, France, Poland and Italy.
Data for last year has been recently presented by Interior Minister Lucian
Bode who underlined that ‘the entire road safety is a serious issue’ in
Romania, and its level is significantly lower than the European average. A
roughly 20% drop in severe road accidents has been registered and the number of
people seriously injured has been reduced by nearly 31% as compared to 2020
whereas the number of fatalities has risen by 8%.
In order to
improve the situation, an objective Romania has assumed including through its
recovery and resilience plan, the executive in Bucharest has amended road
traffic laws, which are now providing for higher fines and are clearly defining
aggressive driving.
So drivers exceeding
the 70 km/hour speed limit are going to have their driving licences suspended
for a period of 120 days and so will those infringing the rules at railway
crossings.
Here is
Interior Minister Lucian Bode.
Lucian Bode: The unjustified
circulation of vehicles on highway emergency lanes will be fined between 260
and 580 euros and the suspension of driving licence for 90 days. Turning and
driving backwards on highways are punishable with licence suspensions of 120
days.
The new laws
are also clearly defining the idea of aggressive driving, including the
excessive use of horns or headlights, handbrake turns as well as other forms of
road rage and aggressive driving. Fines for drivers in these cases who are also
to have their licences suspended for 30 days, can go up to 150 euros.
(bill)