Armenia traffic police periodically declare that they are paying special attention to roadway fatality statistics.

Citing their readiness to do their utmost to decrease the number on traffic deaths, the cops are busily engaged in installing speed cameras here and there throughout the country. Consequently, the number of fines handed out to unaware motorists is on the uptick.

We have already spoken about the fact that the installation of speed camera without proper notification flies in the face of a promise made by the National Assembly.

But let’s get real for a moment and accept the fact that speeding isn’t the only factor leading to roadway fatalities.

Primary reasons for fatalities

There are numerous factors leading to roadway fatalities or serious traffic injuries. International studies have proved that speeding, on average, accounts for a mere 5-10% of road accidents. For example, going faster than the posted speed limit only accounted for 1.5% of all road accidents in Russia in 2011.

Thus, if the police install a speed camera every few meters, the number of road fatalities will not drop.

International experience shows that seat belts can drastically reduce the number of fatalities, in addition to well-maintained roadways and road signs. Annual inspections of the cars being driven is another way to cut down on accidents.

We all are aware that in Armenia traffic lights, signs and pavement markings at intersections are ill-planned and often cause violations and accidents.

As for auto inspections in Armenia, everyone knows that the prime minister’s initiative in this regard is just another way to collect taxes and fees.

May licensed drivers aren’t even aware of the “rules of the road” and safety measures to be followed. People drive by reflex, as if they were riding a bicycle, and not according to accepted norms.

Seat belts can save lives

Studies have shown that seat belts can save lives in the following situations

1. Frontal crash – If seat belts are worn, passengers in the front have a 60% chance of surviving and rear passengers 30%.
2. Sideways crash – There’s a 45% probability that the driver and all passengers will live.
3. Rollovers – There’s an 85% probability that the driver and all passengers will survive.

In middle impact crashes, seat belts can save the driver and front seat passenger 65% of the time and rear passengers around 55%

In other words, if one fine day everyone started to wear seatbelts the number of road fatalities (not counting pedestrians hit by cars) would drop by some 60%

By law, drivers and passengers (front and rear) have been required to wear seatbelts as far back as the 1970s in the Soviet Union. The same law applied after Armenia’s independence. Bit Armenia’s roadway police only started issuing tickets to violators a few years ago.

Nevertheless, we all know that many drivers merely wrap the black belt over the chest without buckling it. This sleight of hand seems to satisfy roadway cops that the driver is “buckled-up”. Inspectors never seem to pay attention to passengers sitting in the rear, in contravention to the law.

In summing up, we can safely say that some 80-90% of motorists and their passengers do not attach their seatbelts. This translates into a 2.5 fold increase that an accident will result in fatalities.  This doesn’t seem to worry road police in Armenia.

Road police are engaged in business

Given such a situation, it is of primary importance to reinstitute the proper auto inspections. Motorist should be obliged to use snow tires in the winter. Tests for a driver’s license need to be stricter and steps need to be taken to ensure that licenses aren’t issued just because an applicant bribes the instructor. The country’s roads could be better maintained as well.

If such measures are taken, including the monitoring of obligatory seatbelt use by all, the number of fatalities and injured could be decreased by a factor of three. Sadly, roadway police are more interested in handing out tickets left and right.

The mission of the cops to collect fines has become such a priority that they are even deceiving the National Assembly and intersections have been transformed into violation facilitators,

It all goes to prove that the unannounced installation of speed cameras by the roadway police is more about collecting money from motorists rather than saving lives.