On 13 May, in the context of UN Global Road Safety Week, the Centre for Democracy and Rule of Law (CEDEM) in Ukraine organised a high-level discussion forum in Kyiv urging critical action to improve road safety in the country.
The aim of the forum was to bring together the key stakeholders - including the Deputy Head of the Parliamentary Committee on Transport and Infrastructure, Deputy Minister of Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development of Ukraine, First Deputy Minister of Social Policy of Ukraine, and First Deputy Head of the Patrol Police Department of Ukraine, as well as key representatives and experts from civil society and academia - to set out concrete objectives for improving road safety in the country. EaP RSO representatives joined in by remote access.
In 2023, 16,994 people were injured in road traffic crashes in Ukraine’s cities, towns and villages (73% of all registered injuries) and 1,730 people died (74%). In the context of the full-scale war with the Russian Federation, this preventable loss of human capital is especially tragic. Moreover, as Ukraine looks to move on from the war, the physical return of part of the population currently abroad and their reintegration into society will require security guarantees, including road safety.
During the Forum, it was reported by Olesya Kholopik, Director of CEDEM, that, for children, “the consequences of road traffic crashes exceed the consequences of many missile attacks, but remain outside the attention of national policy.”
Indeed, in 2024, an average of 14 children were injured on the roads every day in Ukraine. This is an increase of 44% since 2022.
Speeding and inadequate penalty systems were highlighted as key issues. Though participants all welcomed upcoming legislative changes that will provide for increased fines and possible suspension of driving licences for repeat offenders.
The forum also provided an opportunity to review progress against the demands set out in the Manifesto for Safe Roads in Ukraine 2024 – a set 10 key actions agreed upon by representatives of 12 civil society organisations forming the Ukrainian Road Safety Coalition, and supported by over 40 NGOs.
It was reported that significant progress has been made with plans to develop a new National Road Safety Strategy underway. Over the next year, there will be some major developments in Ukraine with regards to road safety improvements which are increasingly seen as a state investment in human capital and with a fundamental impact on the prospects for Ukraine's economic growth.
