Kazakhstan may toughen penalties for pedestrians who cross the road in unauthorized places. Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov put forward the initiative at a government meeting, infohub.kz reports.
According to the head of the cabinet, in the vast majority of incidents involving pedestrians, the pedestrians themselves are at fault. "We need to tighten the rules on punishing people who jaywalk," he said.
At the same time, the prime minister noted that many cases are also recorded at unregulated pedestrian crossings, where the fault lies with drivers. In this connection, he issued a number of instructions.
Akimats have been instructed to expand the installation of video surveillance systems at pedestrian crossings, as well as to ensure the installation of modern traffic lights with countdown displays, especially near educational institutions. The Ministry of Internal Affairs should study international experience in implementing elements of crash-prone street design.
Bektenov separately addressed accidents caused by drivers using cell phones. "All automated systems on roads must be configured to maximize the detection of phone use while driving. Overall, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, together with akimats, should conduct an audit of all installed cameras for their functionality," the prime minister added.
Earlier, the Ministry of Internal Affairs reported that since the beginning of this year, Kazakh police have identified over 226,000 traffic violations, and more than 46,000 vehicles have been placed in specialized impound lots. In addition, the Ministry of Internal Affairs described which road violations are detected using drones.