More than 3,000 road users repeated the rules of the road at “Traffic Safety Stops”
The campaign “Traffic Safety Stops”, organised by the State Enterprise Lithuanian Road Administration (hereinafter – Road Administration) for the third year in a row, has finished its tour around Lithuania. The month-long campaign took place in 98 towns, villages and settlements in Lithuania, with more than 3,000 people taking part.
“The number of visitors to the traffic safety stops this year is really encouraging. The campaign took place in areas with small populations, more remote from larger cities, so 3,000 is a large number. We see that road safety is an important topic for people, and our experts have received a wide range of questions. What is the attraction of this campaign? I think it’s direct communication. It’s very simple: if there’s anything you’re not sure about the rules of the road or the latest changes to them, you come in, ask and find out the answer. It’s convenient and easy,” said Remigijus Lipkevičius, Director of the Road Administration, about the campaign.
When selecting the locations of the traffic safety stops, more attention was paid to smaller towns, villages and settlements where electric scooters are becoming increasingly popular. Most electric scooter riders were not aware that riding an electric scooter with a power of up to 1kW and a speed of up to 25 km is subject to the rules for cyclists, i.e. it is not allowed to be ridden by children under the age of 14, or, if they are licensed as a cyclist, by children aged 12 or over. Many of the visitors to the campaign said they did not know that a helmet is compulsory for the rider of a bicycle or electric scooter under the age of 18.
Road Directorate road safety experts pointed out that most bicycles are in poor technical condition, without lights or reflectors, and that bicycle riders’ vests are worn out. Experts explained what a roadworthy bicycle should look like, what road safety precautions cyclists and pedestrians must use, and how to attach bicycle lights to a bicycle to anyone arriving at the stops on a bicycle that was not in good condition. If a cyclist’s vest was worn out, they would replace it with a new one. Cyclists are reminded of the rules of the road that when cycling on the road during the day, bicycle lights must be switched on or the rider must wear a vest with reflective stripes, and that when cycling in the dark, both lights and a vest are mandatory.
Most of the participants at the traffic safety stops knew how to attach their reflectors correctly, and were aware of the need to walk in the opposite direction to the direction of traffic, i.e. on the left-hand side of the road. Traditionally, excellent knowledge of road safety has been demonstrated by pupils, who not only talk about road safety at school, in extra-curricular activities such as road safety clubs, but also communicate about it at home. The campaign is organised ahead of the start of the new school year and everyone is once again encouraged to behave responsibly and safely on the road.
The organiser of the “Traffic Safety Stops” campaign is the Road Administration. The traffic safety stops project involved cooperation with municipalities, districts, communities, police officers and others.
Last year’s “Traffic Safety Stops” campaign took place in 102 locations and attracted more than 2,000 participants.