The Interior Ministry unveiled on April 16 a new road safety action plan for 2019, which includes a number of measures for tightening traffic enforcement on Georgia’s roads.
The new plan was presented by Interior Minister Giorgi Gakharia at a gathering today, in presence of government officials, lawmakers, and representatives of CSOs, international organizations and business communities.
Gakharia said with 459 traffic-related deaths in 2018, Georgia is a leader in the region. According to the Interior Minister, the corresponding figure for 2008-2018 stands at 6,608 fatalities, with 85,946 reported injuries.
Gakharia explained that most common causes of road accidents are overspeeding, lane driving violations, non-adherence to traffic signs, and drunken driving.
“This is our common problem… no single agency, be it the Interior Ministry, the Roads Department or the City Hall, will be able to address the problem alone; this is a challenge that needs to be addressed by all of us,” he noted.
He then briefed the attendees on the work of the Interior Ministry to that end, and outlined forthcoming changes.
Gakharia said, as of today over 2,600 traffic monitoring cameras are operational, a significant increase from 170 cameras in 2017. The Minister announced that by the end of 2019 around 5,000 traffic monitoring cameras will be operational, covering a total of 700 kilometers of road.
Gakharia also noted that the Interior Ministry established a special group that examines individual traffic accidents, for flagging high risk areas and devising solutions.
The Ministry also announced that by the end of the year the number of unmarked police cars monitoring the road traffic, will increase. He also said police vehicles will be equipped with automatic number-plate recognition systems, enabling the officers to intercept potential offenses.
The Interior Ministry is also planning to tighten sanctions for traffic violations.
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