A pilot digital system for documenting road accidents within the information system e-Contravention Case File will be launched in summer. The information technologies will help to perform the necessary procedures much faster. The pictures taken at the scene will be uploaded into the system in a digital format, IPN reports.
Sergei Diaconu, secretary general of the Ministry of the Interior, in a roundtable meeting centering on road safety, said the given measure will also ease road traffic as the vehicles involved in accidents will faster free the roadway. He noted that a bill that was given a first reading by Parliament introduces harsher penalties form speeding, which is the most often causes of road accidents. The penalties include the suspension of the right to drive and involvement in training to get the license back. Similar penalties will be applied when drivers do not give way to pedestrians for several times during a year.
The official also said that they will request the local public authorities to install road signs to delimit the areas near schools, hospitals and kindergartens where the speed limit is 30 km/h. The police already work in those areas with more filters and increased patrolling.
There are 1,670 crosswalks across Moldova. In the municipality of Chisinau, there are 929 crosswalks and 490 of them are accompanied by traffic lights. “We are often asked why police officers do not work continuously close to crosswalks. But we do not have so many police officers to do this. For the purpose, we need infrastructure, a more intelligent method to ensure the safety of pedestrians for the benefit of everyone,” said Viorel Cernăuțeanu, head of the General Police Inspectorate.
Under the bill drafted by the Ministry of the Interior, the non-giving of way to pedestrians or cyclists will be punished with a fine of 1,500 to 3,000 lei and five penalty points, up from the current fine of 900 to 1,500 lei and four penalty points. The bill is to be given a final reading by Parliament.
