Travellers and Drivers Day: everyone has a duty to follow the traffic rules and respect each other on the road
On September 25, Sunday, the Travellers and Drivers Day is celebrated in Lithuania. It is intended to remind everyone about respect for each other on the road, to think if we, every one of us, behave properly on the road, if we care about our safety and the safety of others while participating in traffic.
According to Remigijus Lipkevičius, director of the State Enterprise Lithuanian Road Administration (hereinafter – the Road Administration), on this day we remind once again that we will be safe on the road if we will take care of ourselves and other people, who participate in traffic together with us. Sometimes, irresponsible actions on the road cost too much – human life. It doesn’t take much time to fasten your seat belts before driving, put on or fasten reflectors before going out on a dark road, it does not take much effort to choose a safe speed while driving – if traffic conditions are bad, we should drive slower than the maximum speed limit.
The Road Administration and partners of the safe traffic project “Let‘s protect each other on the road” remind that pedestrians should take care of their own safety when the days are getting shorter, when it is cloudy or rain is falling, that is, attach reflectors in a place visible to other road users, wear a brightly coloured vest with reflective elements or carry a luminous torch. Such a vest or luminous torch are especially important in the countryside, where pedestrians have to walk on the side of the road. Please note that in the countryside pedestrians must walk against the direction of traffic.
Cyclists and electric scooter riders must also take care of technical regularity of their vehicle, that is, ensure that there is a white light at the front and a red light at the rear, reflectors on the bicycle wheel spokes. Riders of these vehicles must wear brightly coloured vests with reflective elements.
Wearing seat belts is one of the most important rules that applies to those travelling by car. Whether you are a passenger or a driver, whether you are sitting in the front or back seat of a car, whether you are driving a hundred kilometres or just a few, it doesn’t matter at all – you must wear your seat belts. This must be done for your own safety.
Vytautas Grašys, Head of the Lithuanian Traffic Police Service, reminds that in addition to all safety measures and precautions on the road, respect and helping each other are also very important. “Road user must see each other, be able to assess the situation and help each other, and we will then reach our destination safely”. Head of the Lithuanian Traffic Police also urges everyone to not tolerate careless and casual behaviour on the road and to be alert: this applies both to those who drive the vehicle, and to passengers travelling with them, and to those travelling on foot.
A key reminder for drivers – “choose a safe driving speed!”. Before driving, it is necessary to assess the weather conditions, the condition of the road surface, own well-being, and choose a safe speed, which should often be less than the maximum speed limit. As autumn is gaining is pace, fog in the morning, cloudy days, rain and bad weather worsen traffic conditions. Therefore, drivers must choose their driving speed responsibly.
The clergy also urges road users to remember the duty to follow the road traffic rules and respect each other. This Sunday, September 25, in many Lithuanian Catholic churches, during Holy Mass, the prayers will ask God’s blessing and protection of all travellers.
The last Sunday of September was declared the Travellers and Drivers Day by the Lithuanian Bishops’ Conference, during the plenary session that was held on May 26-28 of 2009. The commemoration of this day is a component of the safe traffic project “Let’s protect each other on the road”. Aim of the project is to change the behaviour of road users, foster the road culture, citizenship, responsibility and awareness on the basis of Christian values, reduce the number of traffic accident fatalities and injuries. The project, which has been carried out since 2010, was initiated by the Ministry of Transport and Communications, Lithuanian Bishops’ Conference, Road Administration, Police Department under the Ministry of the Interior.