"According to the press": Flickers helped driving inspectorate fulfill “minus 100” plan

The last years’ motto of the driving inspectorate was “minus 100”. They had to decrease the number of victims of car accidents by 100.
The head of the Ministry of Internal Affaires Uladzimir Navumau proudly claimed they had gone over the quota.
Interestingly, the plan was overfulfilled by more than 100% - according to him, the number of victims of car accidents decreased by 214 people in 2007.

Some mass media doubted it was true. Let us remind you that the results were quite the opposite during the whole year – the number of victims exceeded last year’s number.

”Belhazeta” published preliminary results of the “Minus 100” programme in April:

“1442 car accidents have been registered only during the first three months of the year, 329 poeple died and 1469 were injured. The programme “minus 100” meant to decrease the number of car accidents victims by 100 only arouses a bitter smile: the number of car accidents has increased by 198 and the number of victims – by 97 people”.

The same “Belhazeta” now says that the “minus” was achieved due to inaccurate calculation:

“The reason for the possible inaccuracy may be the fact that a person is considered to be a victim of a car accident if he or she dies within a month after the accident. January is not over and the driving inspectorate is preparing statistics. But Navumau has already claimed that he was satisfied with the results. He said his subordinates continued their work”.

Other newspapers believe that the driving inspectorate improved at the end of the year and managed to fulfill the plan. A journalist from “Zvyazda” Mikola Dzyabyola confessed that he was skeptical about the programme at first but both the newspaper and the journalist stopped doubting after Navumau’s words:

“Driving inspectors sweated their guts out but everything seemed to be in vain. Bad weather seemed to be adding its own corrections. Nobody was sure that the programme ‘minus 100” would be fulfilled by the end of the year”.

”The intrigue” (do not consider this word to be cynical when speaking about people’s lives) remained till yesterday. Until the Minister of Internal Affaires Uladzimir Navumau met representatives of mass media to tell them about the results of the mentioned programme”.

At first it was bad weather that created obstacles for driving inspectors. But mass media and flickers helped them.

The Minister of Internal Affaires confessed that “they would not have got such results” but for the press. He also informed about his new order: “A manager from the Ministry of Internal Affaires should be assigned for every mass medium; regional inspectors should be sent to regional editions, district inspectors – to district editions” (Belhazeta)

The deputy head of the driving inspectorate department of the Ministry of Internal Affaires Ihar Vanistki wondered in an interview with “Belhazeta”: “What should be done if some villagers do not watch TV or read newspapers?” – and he answered his question himself: “In this case the work of a driving inspector is very important. He may fine some granny Manya for going to the shop in the evening without a flicker”.

However, the Ministry of Internal Affaires has already thought about careless “Manyas”. It will not be possible to avoid wearing a flicker even if you would like to do it soon.

”The Ministry of Internal Affaires has prepared a project obliging clothing producers to attach flickers to outer clothing”, - reports “7 Days”.

The only question that remains is why the Ministry urges people to wear flickers but has been refusing to oblige drivers to turn on antidazzle light in the daytime for four years already. The antidazzle light is like a flicker for cars, it makes them more noticeable.

“Express-navіny” recalled that “the decision to turn on antidazzle light in the daytime was taken in 2003 but Alyaksandr Lukashenka cancelled it soon afterwards because it made drivers and pedestrians indignant and did not give any good results anyway”.

The only good thing about it is that “you can be sure that nobody will fine you for using your antidazzle light in the daytime”, - noted a former head of the driving inspectorate department Vasil Bulbyankou.