The drivers who will not give way to pedestrians face heavier fines. If they commit the same violation again, they will be banned from driving for a period of 45 days. This is provided in a bill that was drafted by the Ministry of Home Affairs and is to be given a final reading by Parliament.
Under the bill, the non-giving of way to pedestrians or cyclists will be punished with a fine of 1,500 to 1,800 lei and five penalty points, up from the current fine of 900 to 1,500 lei and four penalty points. If the same violation is committed again in the course of the same year, the punishment will be harsher and will include ban on driving.
Contacted by IPN for details, state secretary general of the Ministry of Home Affairs Sergey Diaconu said statistics show that more road accidents occur after the holidays. In this connection, it was ordered to organize filters for police teams to patrol dangerous areas. But road safety also depends on education, infrastructure and primarily on the behavior of pedestrians.
In many cases, road infrastructure is not in a proper state, while the crosswalks are not lit, are not accompanied by traffic lights or during many years have been planned incorrectly. Installing speed limiting devices and uneven crosswalks is a solution.
Sergey Diaconu said education is another aspect. Despite particular measures taken, road education courses are not taught in schools even if a textbook was designed for the purpose. Such a course should be mandatory, as it is in many developed states.
The ensuring of visibility by pedestrians by wearing reflective elements, especially at night or when it rains and there is fog, is also very important. Sergey Diaconu noted the sport or winter clothing in the Nordic states are not sold without reflective elements. This is the responsibility of producers and also of sellers.
The subject was also discussed in the ordinary meeting of the Cabinet. Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilița requested to analyze the factors that lead to an increase in the number of road accidents involving pedestrians and to take measures to remedy the situation.
The 467 road accidents involving pedestrians that happened in 2021 resulted in 25 deaths and 460 persons injured. The rise is significant compared with a year before, when 16 pedestrians died.
