Czech authorities baffled by summer hike in road deaths

Photo: CTK

After several months of decline in the number of traffic accidents, the first two weeks of the summer holidays saw a spike in the number of casualties on Czech roads. Authorities blame the increase on a combination of factors, including the heat. But they are at a loss over what should be done to make the country’s roads safer.

Photo: CTK
In 2008, the Czech Transport Ministry poured 150 million crowns, or nearly 7.5 million US dollars, into a campaign to warn drivers to drive more carefully. Entitled “You don’t think – you pay”, it featured graphic videos based on real life accidents.

And it worked – on paper. Nearly all of over 1,400 drivers questioned in a new ministry survey said they were aware of the campaign. Around half said it had led them to change their behaviour on the road.

But then came the beginning of the summer holidays. In total, 73 people have died since the end of June, with the daily average of road casualties almost tripling.

Karel Hanzelka is a spokesman for the Transport Ministry.

Photo: Barbora Kmentová
“In recent years and months – until the beginning of the summer holidays – the number of accidents was decreasing. In late June, we were saying we had the best record in the last 40 years. Three weeks later, everything has changed. We take this very seriously and we have to react to this. We would like to appeal to the Czech public: do not take risks, the traffic is heavy, many people are travelling, the weather is really hot – all this is important.”

Petr Sobotka from the traffic police command says little or nothing could have been done to save more lives at the start of the holidays.

“A majority of these accidents could not have been prevented by any kind of activity on our side, either policing or roads signs or anything like this. The accidents were mostly caused by carelessness: drivers did not respect the right of way, they ended up in the wrong lane, and so on. I think the hot weather was also a significant factor here, because it makes people irritable.”

The Czech government is in transition, and a new cabinet should be appointed later this week. The transport and interior ministers will have much work to do in this area. Karel Hanzelka says Transport Ministry officials are already aware that something needs to be done – they are just not sure what.

“The question is, what should we do? We have strict laws, we have a points system. A colleague of mine who was sitting here last year, said, ’even if we punished traffic violations with the death penalty, it would not help.’ We invest millions in prevention campaigns but unfortunately, the outcome is what it is. It’s all about people’s behaviour, not about the law or preventive campaigns.”

The other critical period for Czech drivers comes at the end of August when people return from their summer holidays. Last year, 14 people died on the last weekend of August alone.