Prime Minister Andrus Ansip replied to the interpellation (No. 255) concerning the road safety activities of the Government, submitted on 15 November by Members of the Riigikogu Jarno Laur, Mark Soosaar, Jüri Tamm, Eiki Nestor, Kadi Pärnits and Mart Meri

Prime Minister explained that pursuant to the Traffic Act, enforced on 1 February 2001, the implementation of the state road safety policy is organised through the National Traffic Safety Programme. The Estonian National Road Safety Programme for the years 2003 – 2015 was approved by the Government on 18 March 2003 and was passed by the Riigikogu on 28 May 2003. The objective of the Programme is to decrease the number of deaths in traffic accidents and to reduce the seriousness of traffic accidents, to form a civilised road environment for road users, to raise the awareness of road users concerning traffic and to influence their behaviour. The measures planned in the first phase in the years 2003-2006 include the following measures: legislative and organizational measures, training and teaching, road safety campaigns and traffic monitoring, pilot projects, and measures of the road environment. The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications and the Road Administration deal with the compendia of the first phase which ended eight days ago, and have launched the analysis of the results of the first phase of the traffic safety programme and the elaboration of the action plan for the following phase up to the year 2010. Mr. Ansip commented the deplorable statistics saying: “The reduction of the number of deaths in traffic accidents is still moving in the right direction, although we fell off the course in 2006. The number of deaths in traffic accidents decreased consistently until the year 2006. If in 1991 491 people lost their lives in traffic and in 2002 – 224, in 2005 the number of perished was 168 and in 2006, according to the preliminary data, the number unfortunately increased to 201 people.” The impact of many activities, traffic education etc. will become obvious only during a longer time period. Prime Minister highlighted some positive tendencies: according to the poll, the percentage of the use of reflectors by the children has increased from 30 to 91 and by the adults from 6 to 60; the use of safety belts in the front seats from 51 to 74 percent, the use of children’s security equipment from 20 percent to 39 percent. The number of intoxicated drivers has approximately halved, as compared to the year 2002. In 2002 3.30 percent of drivers were intoxicated and in 2005 – 1.19 percent.

Prime Minister also replied to the interpellation (No. 251) concerning AS Sakala Keskus, submitted on 13 November by Members of the Riigikogu Indrek Raudne, Juhan Parts, Ken-Marti Vaher, Urmas Reinsalu, Reet Roos and Mart Nutt.

The Riigikogu Press Service