Pedestrians in Armenia found guilty of jaywalking will now be fined 10,000 drams ($26) instead of 5,000 drams.

The country’s Ministry of Internal Affairs believes the increase will help decrease the number of people who die or are injured by not following local traffic regulations.

The ministry says that in 2024, 1,079 road traffic accidents resulted in 107 deaths.

Most of these accidents, according to the ministry, were caused by pedestrians violating traffic rules.

Surprisingly, the new law pertains only to pedestrians not using “designated crosswalks” and doesn’t mention disobeying traffic signals. 

In related news, the country’s Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports wants to provide subsidized loans for students, employees of educational institutions and their family members, to purchase bicycles.

The ministry argues that such loans will promote a healthy lifestyle and alternative forms of public transportation.

The ministry’s statement does not elaborate if more bicycles on the streets, especially given the lack of bike lanes, will lead to more traffic accidents.