Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu wrote an article titled 'A Road Story' due to the Traffic Week. Minister Soylu said, “Soylu, regarding traffic accidents,“ Our numerical goal for 2020 is to reduce our losses by reducing 6% in fatal accidents and 3% in injured accidents. We will increase our controls to achieve this goal. ”
Traffic is a field where every sign of meeting, longing, trade, producing, briefly about human, human is “living” shows itself. If the roads are crowded, the agenda is busy, things are busy, life is alive; all the roads are still.
Traffic, which is in such a center of our lives, is a global problem that threatens human life in today's world as well as a sign of life. Traffic accidents, which are described as a health problem by the World Health Organization, which we frequently hear nowadays, cause an average of 1 million 350 thousand people to die and injure approximately 50 million people every year. It ranks 8th among the causes of death on a global scale and 5th among the causes of death between the ages of 29-1. And, oddly enough, the emerging technology does not reduce this security risk; on the contrary, the distracting effect of some innovations such as the speed of the vehicles and the mobile phone whips this threat.
Unfortunately, it is not in need of explanation that our country has a bad record for many years at the point of traffic accidents, we have suffered greatly and lost more than terrorism. The economic cost of traffic accidents in Turkey in 2019 is calculated as 55,5 billion TL. Different efforts have been made to reduce traffic accidents in many government periods from the past to the present, many measures have been implemented, and these have had positive results at different scales. However, unlike all of them, our perspective on the traffic issue, like many other security titles, has gained a strategic dimension after July 15, which is a security security in our country.
STRATEGIC APPROACH
The Road Traffic Safety Strategy and Action Plan, which was prepared with the leadership and direction of our President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in 2011 and aims to reduce the casualties in traffic accidents as a primary target in 50, is the first of a new approach to the solution of this issue in our country. has been the step. The Traffic Safety Implementation Policy Document published in 2017 was an up-to-date road map in which new concrete steps, new measures and strategies to be taken within this plan are described. In this document, measures to be taken in the short, medium and long term are planned, and the steps to reduce both today's accidents and to establish the driver and pedestrian behaviors of tomorrow are determined. In this context, we have determined a strategy that we developed on four sheet metal legs that we can summarize as control, social awareness, capacity building and education.
THE LOGIC OF THE INSPECTION HAS CHANGED
In the audit pillar, we aimed not only to punish and increase the number of audits, but also to change the audit mentality. We wanted to reduce the penalties written on the plate and increase the face-to-face inspections instead, and we did so. In this way, we increased the awareness of the driver. We prioritized noticing fines. We tried to remove the driver from the vehicle, in particular, during the supervision of long-distance drivers, thereby eliminating distractions. Again with the same purpose, we developed new forms of supervision, such as cutting the entire road and directing it to a break. In addition, we planned our inspections accordingly by analyzing the days and times when accidents were intense. Between Friday, Saturday and Monday, when the accidents occurred intensely, and the other days between 18.00-20.00, the number of teams and staff was doubled, increasing the visibility of the teams. In our audit amount, when we accept 2011 as 100, our 2016 audit figure is 132; As of the end of 2019, it is 220.
In line with our awareness-raising line in auditing, we also ended trap radar / repeated radar applications. Instead, we switched to the Average Speed Detection System on the 2.155 km highway network, by being considered as the speed corridor between HGS / OGS and the entrance and toll booths, thus demonstrating an understanding aimed at decreasing the average speed across the road, not just more effective and instantaneous braking. . 2018% of the number of accidents on highways that use this system between 2019-20,3; We also achieved a 12% decrease in the number of fatal accidents.
Increasing visibility and awareness was our new priority in audits and we have developed new methods for this. Our Model / Model Traffic Team Tools application, which may be subject to pleasant views in public at times and to beautiful jokes and layouts on social media, was such an innovation. These models really met the expectations and compared to 2018, 2019% of the number of accidents in the 3 km radius of their locations in 11.5; 17.5% in the number of fatal accidents; they achieved 26.44% decrease in their casualties in these accidents. Currently, 753 model / model traffic team vehicles work on a 7/24 basis in our country :)
In addition to the existing inspection methods, we also benefited from aircraft technology. We started Air Traffic Control application through drones and helicopters. From the date when the application started on October 5, 2018 to January 6, 2020, 1.771 violations were made by flying 12 hours by helicopter; by drone 052 thousand 18 hours flight 283 thousand 107 violations were detected.
In addition to all these, we focused on point-of-shot inspections. We frequently identified accident locations in our country and named them “accident black spots” and carried out special inspections to these points. In addition, with the measures we took during Ramadan and Sacrifice Holidays, we also achieved a serious decrease in the accidents during the holidays. The average daily loss of lives in traffic accidents in the last ten years period is 61% during Ramadan Bayram days, when the traffic density increases by 51.5% compared to normal holiday times; On the occasion of Eid al-Adha decreased 34%.
We also carried out sectoral audits in line with our audit approach. Especially our intercity bus inspections and school shuttle vehicles inspections continued intensely. Between 2018-2019 our intercity passenger transport inspections increased by 21.2%. The increase in our general audit figure increased by 23% in the same period.
WE CANNOT ACCEPT IT ONLY: SOCIAL AWARENESS
Another pillar of our new era traffic strategy was social awareness. It is impossible to achieve any permanent success in public administration without the support and contribution of the society. Based on this point, we have created awareness-raising campaigns to change the current driver and pedestrian behaviors in the traffic safety issue. In particular, we considered the Ramadan and Sacrifice Holidays as an effective ground for these campaigns, and in practice we saw the benefits reflected in the figures, as I mentioned above. We carried out many campaigns such as “Red Whistle”, “Let Your Belt Be Sound”, “We Are Always Together On This Path” and we aimed especially for our children to participate in these campaigns and be gripping at the same time. We have taken this understanding out of the feast days and spread it all year through events such as video, poster design competitions and other campaigns. Thus, in a sense, we tried to create a mental field pressure on traffic.
WE ALSO AVOID ACCIDENTS OF TOMORROW: EDUCATION REQUIREMENT
In addition to changing the traffic behavior of today's drivers and pedestrians in order to prevent today's accidents, we have found it necessary to provide future drivers and pedestrians with the right behavior in order to prevent future accidents from today. For this purpose, we determined a sheet of our new term strategy as education. In this context, we have both developed ongoing training programs and launched new training projects. For example, in the last 5 years, we have retrained 3.050 drivers who had the most accidents with defects. We also renewed our children's traffic education parks and increased their numbers. Turkey currently has a total of 42 units in 90 provinces Children's Traffic Training Park.
At the end of 2020, all of our 81 provinces will have access to these parks, along with those under construction. In the year 2019, 148 thousand 585 children received education in these parks. Likewise, within the scope of the Traffic Detectives Child Education Project, 7.2 million children; With 2 Mobile Traffic Training Trucks, which we seized and put into service from drug criminals, to 27 thousand 16 students in 150 provinces; Traffic education was provided to 490 thousand citizens in public areas with a total of 13,5 million people, along with many other projects.
STRONG STATE, SAFE HIGHWAY
Implementing all these strategies, studies and innovations, of course, requires serious human and technical capacity. With the direct support and instructions of our President, and even from time to time in our campaigns, we had the opportunity to provide all the support we need to ensure traffic safety quickly and effectively. On this occasion, I would like to express my gratitude to my country and nation. In 2018-2019, 5800 police personnel were directly assigned to traffic units after graduating from police schools. With the purchases made, while 20 traffic crew per every 1 kilometers on intercity roads, this distance decreased to 16 kilometers. If we calculate in terms of population, this number decreased to 23 thousand, while a traffic crew fell to 17 thousand people. Again, 600 new motorcycles were bought in the traffic units, thereby significantly increasing the response capacity of the teams.
PEDESTRIAN PRIORITY TRAFFIC
I would like to add two revolutionary steps to all these strategic approaches. First; With the regulation made, the violations such as spinning, drift, abarth exhaust, which are called as scissors throwing among the people, are included in the scope of crime and their penalties are increased. In 2019, the number of transactions carried out by our audit units within this scope is 3 thousand 758 for drift crime; exaggeration is 17 thousand 727 from exhaust.
Our second important revolutionary step is our transition to Pedestrian Priority Traffic. In October 2018, we announced this new approach, which we took a step with the amendment made in the 74th article of the Highway Traffic Law, as a campaign with the slogan of “Priority is Life, Priority is Pedestrian”. We achieved a full 22% reduction in pedestrian deaths during the first year of implementation, and we managed to reduce pedestrian deaths from 495 to 385 for the first year.
WHAT OR RESULTS?
So, what result did all this effort, all this effort, many measures we haven't explained here have created?
First of all, it is appropriate to make the following determination that the “2011-2020 Highway Traffic Safety Strategic Plan” is now about to be completed and has reached its targets a year in advance.
In the Loss of Traffic Accidents Per 100 Thousand People, which is an international standard, the world average is 18, the European Union average is 5, 11.4 in the USA, 4.85 in France and 3.96 in Germany.
In our country, this figure decreased from 2015 in 9.6 to 2019 as of the end of 6.5. World Health Organization data according to these figures between the years 2000-2016 in the world 18.8 from 18.2 regressed, while in Turkey the last 4 years of being declined 9.6 from 6.5, it is clear that means a development above the world average. If we talk about the net figure, the total number of casualties we experienced in traffic accidents in 2015 was 7530. This number, which we had decreased to 2018 in 6.675, was 2019 as of the end of 5.473.
In particular, the 2018% decrease in the number of fatal accidents between 2019-22.4 and the 25.1% decrease in crime scene loss is an unprecedented rapid decline in the world.
In terms of convenience in comparison, when we accept 2011 as 100, our vehicle number increased from 2016 to 2019 and the number of drivers increased from 131.1 to 143.9 between the end of 123.8-134; On the other hand, the number of fatal accidents decreased from 93.3 to 67.8 and the number of casualties decreased from 91.1 to 65.8.
NEW TARGETS IN TRAFFIC, NEW FUTURE
The positive results of many steps that we have tried to explain from the beginning and which we have not been able to fit here are clearly visible from all data. However, there is a clear truth that the number of traffic accidents is human life, so even the number 1 here is a huge number for us, and it is of course not possible for us to see ourselves successful until we make it 0. As such, we have to set new goals and new strategies for ourselves in the upcoming period.
In the short term, our numerical target for 2020 is 6% in fatal accidents; to reduce our losses even more by providing a 3% reduction in injuries. Our audits will continue to increase in order to achieve this goal. Likewise, our activities to increase the “perceived risk of catching” that we have been practicing on drivers and pedestrians for a long time will continue without interruption. In addition, reducing the bureaucracy in all services in traffic is among the goals of the coming period.
As in every step we have taken so far, our legislative steps will continue in the upcoming period. At the application point, works such as Police - Gendarmerie joint inspections, Model Traffic Team application, holiday special inspections, target planned inspections, point inspections for the place and hours of accidents, increasing face-to-face inspections and bringing them to 50% will also be followed. In addition, our supervision and awareness studies regarding the use of mobile phones and seat belts during the cruise will continue uninterruptedly.
“2011-2020 Highways Traffic Safety Strategic Plan” has been completed. The targets here have been reached as of 2019. We are now setting our 2021-2030 Strategic Plan and our goals. Our new strategic goal here will be the “Safe System” approach. Human beings can make mistakes. In addition to making people not to make mistakes with the Safe System Approach, we will pursue a system that will compensate for possible errors in traffic and cover it. Creating safer roads, safer signaling and signaling systems, safer vehicles and safer and functional speed limits that will not cause people to make mistakes; Ensuring the perfection of post-accident response equipment and methods are among the goals of this new era.
We are a strong country under serious security risks and successfully manage them in terms of our geography. However, it is clear that traffic accidents have nothing to do with our geography or any other factor. It is completely an issue that we have to solve. We've come a long way. Especially, our road infrastructure has reached and even exceeded the world standards, our 112 emergency response capacity has increased and our health service quality has an important share in this success.
What we have done so far shows that we can achieve this. We have a serious distance ahead, but we have come a long way. So we are hopeful and diligent.
In this respect, I believe that the Traffic Week, which we celebrate between 2-8 May in order to create a significant awareness, will contribute significantly to our fight against traffic accidents. I would like to thank everyone who contributed to this success, all our colleagues, all our citizens who obey the rules and strive to comply, and wish our loved ones the mercy of Allah Almighty, patience to their relatives and urgent healing to our injured brothers.
Be the first to comment