Matović: Young drivers sometimes perceive driving as a form of entertainment, Photo: Nikola Saveljić
More than 3,000 drivers in Montenegro suffer serious traffic injuries every year, and 67 of them have lost their lives on the roads since the beginning of the year.
This was said yesterday by Boško Matović, professor of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Montenegro (UCG), during the educational forum “Youth and road traffic safety” held on the occasion of the World Day of Remembrance for the Victims of Traffic Accidents.
World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims is dedicated to the millions of people who have died in traffic around the world.
“The age group from five to 29 years old is the most vulnerable in traffic. More than a million people die in traffic every year, and this is a worldwide statistic. I would add the fact that traffic accidents are also an economic problem. They cost Montenegro between 100 and 200 million euros,” said Matović.
He emphasized that the fact that “every 24 seconds someone dies on the road” is worrying.
“More than 3,000 people per year in Montenegro suffer serious traffic injuries. It is very important to measure ourselves against other, most developed European countries. This is a big problem that we have to work on. The question arises as to why our traffic safety situation is like this. We have come across data that more than 50 percent of drivers do not respect speed limits. About five percent of drivers drive under the influence of alcohol,” explained Matović.
According to him, reckless drivers – young people – cause major problems in traffic on a global level.
“With us, the public risk is two to four times higher in this age group. It seems to me that young drivers are not experienced enough because they are in a new environment. They are too self-confident and behave aggressively…”, assessed Matović.
He said that young people “due to their lifestyle, most often drive the vehicle at night” and added that men are more prone to risky behavior than women.
Matović believes that young people perceive driving as a form of entertainment, but also a means of seeking sensation and excitement.
Young drivers often see driving as a form of power, he claims. He also pointed out that driving by young people under the influence of drugs is an increasingly common cause of traffic accidents, and he adds that the use of mobile phones while driving can also be attributed to this.
The Dean of the Mechanical Engineering Faculty of the UCG, Radoje Vujadinović, said that Montenegro, as a small country, has not been able to deal with the problem of speeding and disobeying traffic rules.
“Montenegro is one of the countries with the highest number of victims in relation to the number of the population. If our efforts succeed and if we have at least one less victim, we will know that our efforts have been successful. It remains for us to work better and stronger, as well as for our results to save lives,” Vujadinović said.
He said that the University of Montenegro and the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering are at the disposal of all instances fighting for the improvement of road traffic in Montenegro.
The Minister of Transport, Maja Vukićević, said that young people are particularly exposed to dangers in traffic and urged them to take care while driving, as well as to watch out for vulnerable groups.
“… You have to save your lives because you are the future of Montenegro. We need to save every life,” Vukićević said.
News
Source: www.vijesti.me
