Pedestrians with flickers die more often
957 people were fined by the traffic police on February 18 alone for not wearing light-reflecting flickers. However, the European Radio for Belarus has learned that out of 14 pedestrians killed on the roads in the past two weeks of February, 9 were wearing flickers. Psychologists suggest that flickers can make people feel relaxed and distracted. Acording to Ihar Vanitski, a deputy traffic police commander, the people marked with flickers die not because their light attracts cars. He says those killed should be to blame as they should have drunk less.
Ihar Vanitski: “We need to look into every particular case. It is also possible that a pedestrian, even marked with a flicker, was walking drunk on the edge of the road and could end up being hit by a moving vehicle. One can put a flicker on, then get smashed and fall asleep in the middle of the road. There are many accidents like that. Sometimes, it can be difficult for drivers to notice even a flicker in dark hours”.
Meanwhile, in order to avoid a fine, one must have a flicker of any size. Women can even pin small light-reflecting elements on their bags where it is hard to notice them. But, officers say it is better than nothing.
The traffic police even propose so that all cyclists put on light-reflecting jackets. But in the view of psychologist Viktoria Pyakarskaya, people with a flicker can feel relaxed by having an illusion of the guaranteed safety.
The fine for walking without a flicker amounts to Br15500. If walking under unfluence of alcohol, a pedestrian will be fined with Br62,000. An average of 800 "unmarked" pedestrians are fined daily across the country. This translates to over Br15 milion per day. The traffic police officials don't have exact figures. However, he told our radio how this money is spent.
"All this money goes to the local and national budgets which then allocate funds for road cleanig and for installing road lights”, Vanitski said.
The traffic police is not responsible for repairing the roads and street poles. But they colect information from all the road patrols and forwards to the relevenant bodies: the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Housing and Communal Services.
Zhana Trayno, a spoeksperson for the Minsk City Police Department, told the European Radio for Belarus that some 70 people are fined in the capital daily for walking without a flicker. This translates into over Br1 million. All of this money was sent to the municipal budget. However, the traffic police are not aware of how many street poles were installed for this money. She said that pedestrians with flickers should not get relaxed or reckless. Rather, they should observe the road rules.
Ihar Vanitski: “We need to look into every particular case. It is also possible that a pedestrian, even marked with a flicker, was walking drunk on the edge of the road and could end up being hit by a moving vehicle. One can put a flicker on, then get smashed and fall asleep in the middle of the road. There are many accidents like that. Sometimes, it can be difficult for drivers to notice even a flicker in dark hours”.
Meanwhile, in order to avoid a fine, one must have a flicker of any size. Women can even pin small light-reflecting elements on their bags where it is hard to notice them. But, officers say it is better than nothing.
The traffic police even propose so that all cyclists put on light-reflecting jackets. But in the view of psychologist Viktoria Pyakarskaya, people with a flicker can feel relaxed by having an illusion of the guaranteed safety.
The fine for walking without a flicker amounts to Br15500. If walking under unfluence of alcohol, a pedestrian will be fined with Br62,000. An average of 800 "unmarked" pedestrians are fined daily across the country. This translates to over Br15 milion per day. The traffic police officials don't have exact figures. However, he told our radio how this money is spent.
"All this money goes to the local and national budgets which then allocate funds for road cleanig and for installing road lights”, Vanitski said.
The traffic police is not responsible for repairing the roads and street poles. But they colect information from all the road patrols and forwards to the relevenant bodies: the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Housing and Communal Services.
Zhana Trayno, a spoeksperson for the Minsk City Police Department, told the European Radio for Belarus that some 70 people are fined in the capital daily for walking without a flicker. This translates into over Br1 million. All of this money was sent to the municipal budget. However, the traffic police are not aware of how many street poles were installed for this money. She said that pedestrians with flickers should not get relaxed or reckless. Rather, they should observe the road rules.
