Making roads safe: the case of Kyrgyzstan

9 October 2018

According to official data, the number of people who died in road crashes in Kyrgyzstan in 2017 declined 11.5% compared to 2016. The country achieved this progress through a set of government initiatives to increase road safety by:

reforming patrol police;

introducing better speed enforcement;

implementing checks on driving licences;

enforcing testing for vehicle roadworthiness; and

implementing the installation of video control systems.

However, Kyrgyzstan still has the second-highest rate of road crashes reported in the WHO European Region.

WHO supports Kyrgyzstan in decreasing mortality rates on its roads. The Save LIVES road safety technical package developed by WHO is a tool to help countries achieve a 50% reduction in deaths due to road crashes by 2020 – a goal set by the United Nations Decade of Action for Road Safety and the Sustainable Development Goals.

After introducing the package in Kyrgyzstan in 2017, the Ministry of Health requested WHO support for its implementation in 2018 and 2019.

WHO

Making roads safe... 1

Azamat is one of the thousands of ordinary drivers in Kyrgyzstan who has personally experienced a road crash. It happened last year on the way home, when he tried to avoid a large hole in the asphalt on a dark road. Fortunately, he was not seriously injured.

WHO

Making roads safe... 2

In Kyrgyzstan, 6346 road crashes were registered in 2017. A total of 907 people died in these crashes – including 104 children – and 9568 people were injured. This means that 3 people died each day due to road crashes, and every eighth victim was a child.

WHO

Making roads safe... 3

With the objective of preventing speed-related road traffic crashes, the Kyrgyz Government recently installed video monitoring systems throughout Bishkek to monitor the speed of drivers and issue infringement notices to drivers exceeding posted limits.

WHO

Making roads safe... 4

To alleviate traffic, the administration of the city of Bishkek promotes cycling. Yet bicycle lanes are often full of parked cars, forcing cyclists to move either into the pedestrian area or onto the road, which dramatically increases the risk of road traffic injuries.

WHO

Making roads safe... 5

A legislative review carried out with national partners and the assistance of WHO demonstrated that many of the country’s laws, such as those related to drink–driving, speeding, and the use of helmets and child car restraints, need to be strengthened.

WHO

Making roads safe... 6

70% of lives can be saved by simply fastening seat belts, and children’s injuries and deaths can be avoided by using infant/child car seats.

WHO

Making roads safe... 7

Wearing a seat belt reduces the risk of a fatal injury by up to 50% for front-seat occupants and up to 75% for rear-seat occupants.

WHO

Making roads safe... 8

In October 2017, 38-year-old Vice Prime Minister Temir Djumakadyrov died in a road crash. The tragedy is a reminder that road crashes can happen to any of us, and that we all have our part to play in making roads safe.

/