Tbilisi Sees 2,590 Road Accidents in January-October
By Tea Mariamidze
Tuesday, December 18
The official statistics of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia (MIA) read that only in Tbilisi 2,590 road accidents happened in January-October 2018.
During these accidents, 74 people died and 3,207 were injured. If we compare the data to the 10 month statistics of the last year, a total of 2,934 road accidents were reported in the capital, claiming 87 lives and causing injuries to 3,207 persons.
From January to November of 2018, the highest number of road accidents were registered on Kakheti Highway (112 cases), killing 6, followed by Aghmashenebeli Avenue - 80 road accidents causing the death of 4 people, the left bank of the Mtkvari river is the third with 78 cases, leaving 5 dead.
In addition to the listed streets, MIA says the right bank of Mtkvari on Tsotne Dadiani Street, Guramishvili and Gabriel Salos street, Gorgasali and Khizanishvili streets and Rustavi Avenue also often see car accidents.
In order to reduce car accidents and be environment-friendly, obligatory technical inspection of vehicles took effect in Georgia on January 1, 2018. The first stage required trucks of over 3.5 tons and passenger cars with more than eight seats to undergo safety checks.
The second stage launched on July 1, 2018, required all vehicles registered to state entities to undergo a mandatory check, which was followed by the third stage from October 1.
From October 1, 2018, the third stage of mandatory technical inspections of vehicles was launched in Georgia, envisaging inspection of all automobiles with 3.0 engines and above.
From January 1, 2019, the government expects to launch the final phase of the campaign and require all other vehicles to undergo mandatory testing.
Vehicles which are four years old or less will not have to undergo an inspection. Cars that are four-six years old will undergo testing once every two years and cars older than six years will have to be tested every year.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs also installed additional 200 smart cameras in the streets. The camera network is part of a new road safety initiative that focuses on bringing the capital’s traffic infrastructure in line with modern European standards.
The camera system is able to read the license plates of cars that violate traffic rules and immediately send a notification and the appropriate fine to the registered owner of that vehicle by SMS. Cameras are fitted with warning signs that alert drivers they are subject to being recorded.
The MIA has also installed speed monitoring devices in the areas of Tbilisi where drivers most often drive over the speed limit.
By the end of 2018, the MIA plans to have as many as 1000 smart cameras on Georgia’s highways.
One of the Ministry’s main priorities is increasing road safety in Georgia and reducing and preventing road accidents.
