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Each of us must have a good knowledge of the Road Traffic Regulations (KET) before we can participate in traffic. However, as police officers point out, certainly not all road users are familiar with the simplest provisions, and the largest stone falls in the bicycle garden.
Like they haven’t seen or heard of KET
Some of the public even seem to be ignorant of the technical condition of the bike itself (neat brakes and audible signal, red reflector or red light at the rear, white light at the front, orange reflectors attached to the wheel spokes on both sides ). When riding on a road, the rider should wear a brightly colored vest with reflective elements or a white light at the front of the bike and a red light at the rear.
Cyclists and passengers under the age of 18 must wear and wear a bicycle helmet when driving or riding on the road. It is not mandatory for people over the age of 18 to ride a bicycle on the road, but it is recommended to wear and use a cycling helmet.
In addition, the use of the bicycle on the road is allowed to people under 14 years of age and to those who have attended a training course established by the Ministry of Education, Science and Sports and have a certificate issued by an educational institution, to people at least 12 years old. Under the supervision of an adult, a person under the age of 8 can ride a bicycle on the road. There is no age limit for cyclists in the residential area.
More than half of the accidents are due to the cyclists themselves
According to police summaries, there were 253 road accidents involving bicyclists in the past year alone: 10 of them were killed and 321 were injured. 2019 48.6 percent. all accidents occurred precisely because of these road users.
Unfortunately, the statistics are even worse this year. 2020 In January-October, 287 traffic accidents involving 12 cyclists were recorded: 12 died, 380 were injured and, due to the cyclists themselves, a total of 52.3 percent occurred. of all accidents.
The most common causes of traffic accidents are an unexpected turn to the left and a drive off a side road without making sure it is safe to do so.
Not a single fatal incident is related to the fact that cyclists are still not inclined to wear brightly colored vests with reflective elements, helmet during the dark hours of the day, nor do they ensure that the bicycle has lights, reflectors and a sign warning.
Certainly the bike is not the last vehicle when it comes to speed. A young and energetic person can easily reach 20 km / h by bicycle. speed, and professional cyclists 30 km / h. and more. However, when driving uphill, these vehicles can accelerate to 60 km / h. and even higher speeds. This year, when two high-speed cyclists collided in the Šalčininkai district, one of them was killed and the other seriously injured.
Intoxicated people on the road lose their instinct for self-protection
Although alcohol intoxication is prohibited, not all road users, including pedestrians, are aware of it. According to data from the traffic accident information system, in 2020. In January-October there were 27 incidents, due to drunk pedestrians, in which 5 people died and 22 were injured.
People who drink alcohol become slower to react, coordination is impaired, alertness and sense of security disappear. Intoxicated people make reckless movements, suddenly run into the street, vibrate while walking down the driveway, etc. In other words, he behaves inappropriately, so if a person has multiplied alcohol, family members or friends should not leave him alone on the road, but accompany him home safely.
Such stories, which only end happily “by the hair”, can often be heard both in the press and from relatives or acquaintances.
“The image will never disappear from my memory when my husband barely managed to stop the car after seeing a woman lying on the road in the distance. We drove very early in the morning, when I was still ahead, so the visibility was poor, but we were saved from a terrible accident by the fact that the traffic was completely light – we managed to turn the car into the opposite lane. By the time the man jumped up to see what had happened to the woman lying in the middle of the road, he had already called the emergency number. What you think? Doctors could immediately tell that the woman was very intoxicated. So far, I wonder how it could have ended for her. After all, there was a large body of water nearby (just behind the road’s metal barrier – Aut. Past), and the traffic soon became much heavier. My husband and I keep repeating that it is a lesson to always drive diligently, not to exceed speed, because sometimes the accident can occur not because of your ignorance or error, but also because of other careless, drunk road users, ”recalls the interlocutor the incident caused by a drunk woman in Vilnius. Janina.
According to the Lithuanian Highway Police Service, pedestrians often pass on the road, where it is prohibited, go down the road in the direction of vehicles and suddenly escape into the street.
Often times, pedestrians ignore the signals of the traffic lights, they cannot estimate the distance to the approaching vehicles, their speed, they do not ensure that it is safe to enter the road. One of the biggest problems is that pedestrians do not use safety devices: reflectors, other light-reflective elements (spotlights, lights, brightly colored vests with light-reflective elements), although the measures are mandatory when walking on roads no lighting in the dark or poor visibility. Often times, pedestrians, standing in front of the crosswalk, “engage” in strange activities at the intersection: talking on a mobile phone, writing messages, listening to musicians with headphones.
Drunk when sitting behind the wheel, they choose their own destiny
Some people who have consumed alcohol also choose to behave in an even more unjustifiable way: sitting behind the wheel of a car. However, the fact that such an action can cost a lot is convinced only in the event of an accident.
A traffic accident that turned into a resonant case, while intoxicated, sitting behind a rented car and 130 km / h. Flying at the speed of the streets of Vilnius, the man killed an innocent woman – caused a great resonance in society. The car accident that ended tragically took place on the night of April 22 last year, when a car driven by a drunkard crashed into Pilaitės avenue in the capital. and Laisvės ave. two cars parked at an intersection and waiting for a green light. The passenger in the back of the car that hit the most was killed instantly, and the driver who caused the accident was sitting behind bars.
This is just one of many examples of how a vehicle can become a “deadly weapon” when driven by an intoxicated person. Still, police officers point out that there are a growing number of responsible citizens in the country who not only punish or report drunk drivers who are seen on the road, but also behave when they see drunk pedestrians on the road. Citizenship of people is very important, because unpredictable road users who consume alcohol pose a threat to the entire environment around us.
The information was prepared in cooperation with the SE Lithuanian Highway Administration.
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