Czech authorities launch crackdown as road death figures soar

Police in the Czech Republic began a nationwide campaign recently aimed at reducing the number of deaths and injuries on the nation's roads. More than 1,300 people died in car accidents last year, and the figures for this year are likely to be even higher. According to some statistics, the Czech Republic has the fourth most dangerous roads in Europe: only in Poland, Greece and Portugal are the death rates higher. So why is the situation so bad, and are the authorities doing anything about it? Radio Prague's Rob Cameron reports.

We've come to the top of Wenceslas Square, one of the busiest spots in Prague. With me is Jaroslav Horin, and he's an independent road safety consultant. This area is perhaps a great illustration of Prague's traffic problems.

"I think it is the greatest illustration. We're at the worst spot in Prague as far as the behaviour of car drivers to pedestrians is concerned. Because as you can see from the pedestrian crossings in front of us, most cars do not stop, they don't give priority to pedestrians. And of course the behaviour of the pedestrians is very bad as well."

You mean they just walk out without looking and the cars have to stop. But who's worse in this case - the pedestrians or the car drivers?

"I'm afraid the car drivers."

Well let's go and try it out...

...Let's try ourselves to walk across the pedestrian crossing now...this guy hasn't stopped, no - he's not stopping, another car, he hasn't stopped, and we're now actually forcing this car to stop because if she didn't stop, then she'd run us over.

"Yes, as you said, we forced her to stop. Because otherwise she'd keep going."

And that of course must lead to a lot of accidents.

"Yes, I'm afraid so. And very many fatal accidents. It's very dangerous on the pedestrian crossings in our country."

But deaths on pedestrian crossings are not the only problem. Drinking and driving, speeding and a host of other bad habits have all helped Czech drivers reach the top of the road death league table. The Czech authorities say they have now woken up to the problem, and are doing their best to tackle it. Robert Stastny, from the Transport Ministry's road safety department, admits things are pretty bad:

"I think road safety is connected with three things: behaviour, vehicles and infrastructure. In the Czech Republic, a great problem is the behaviour of drivers, but not only drivers, pedestrians and cyclists too. It's slightly connected with the change of regime [the end of Communism]. Because discipline has fallen, people are not willing to respect the rights of others. I think it's very much connected with the fact that the law isn't observed in society, not only on the roads."

Increasing that respect for the law involves changing it. Under the present law, the police have no power to confiscate driving licences. That measure was brought in three years ago, apparently by mistake. Under a new law, to be submitted later this year, the police will be able to confiscate licences, and a points system for driving offences will also be introduced.

The Transport Ministry's Robert Stastny hopes the new law, combined with more effective public awareness campaigns, will eventually result in better drivers. The people of this country, he says, have still failed to realise that what they do behind the wheel can truly be a matter of life and death:

"In this time people don't consider road safety as a problem. People are killed on the roads, but nobody discusses it publicly. So we must change the feeling of society. Society must accept it as a real problem, and realise that everybody must change their own behaviour."