Moldovan PM demands urgent measures against rise in number of serious traffic accidents

Chisinau, 2 March /MOLDPRES/ - Prime Minister Pavel Filip, in the beginning of a today cabinet meeting, demanded that the competent ministries make a plan of concrete measures, in order to prevent and diminish the phenomenon of serious traffic accidents, which has alarmingly enhanced on the last period, the government’s communication and media relations department has reported.    

The prime minister has recently asked for an analysis on the matter. In this context, he reminded a tragic accident, which occurred in late last week, in the wake of which three young people died and another five endangered their lives. Preliminary data shows that it is about the loss control over the wheel against the background of alcohol consumption.  

“I demanded an analysis, showing an alarming increase in the number of accidents, which many times end with deaths, and most of these accidents are triggered by drivers who consumed alcohol. In 2015 alone, 6,952 cases of driving in ebriety were discovered,” the prime minister said.   

Pavel Filip voiced his wish that, beyond information and PR actions, which may be noticed in public space at present, there should be more efficient measures for preventing, as well as tough punishment, when necessary. “What is the use of the fact that there are reports on diverse campaigns of the kind “White Nights” and about the impressive number of drivers discovered at the wheel in ebriety, if after the PR is over, they escape without sanctions and start driving drunk again on the next day,” the prime minister said.      

At the same time, Filip stressed that, out of the aforementioned number of cases, 1,274 were ceased, either by the police or by prosecutors, or even by physicians, 80 were quashed, 2,397 were submitted to court, and 1,175 cases are solved by the Police and Prosecutor’s Office; yet their fate is unknown.   

Prime Minister Pavel Filip said that this problem was to be analysed more thoroughly, with the involvement of more institutions. To this end, the prime minister asked the Interior Ministry to work out, in concert with the Health Ministry and other institutions, an action plan in a one-week term, and come up with concrete solutions to settle this situation.     

Also, Pavel Filip spoke out for toughening the sanctions and, in some cases, for enhancing the criminal responsibility, including in terms of the way the drivers are tested by physicians.  

At the same time, the prime minister asked the concerned bodies to carry out internal inquiries, in order to establish the reasons which led to the quashing of such a large number of criminal and contravention files in the last two years.  

(Editor A. Raileanu)