Lithuania aims to eliminate road deaths by 2050

VILNIUS, March 26 (Xinhua) -- Lithuania's Transport Ministry has set an ambitious objective to put an end to fatalities caused by car accidents to zero by 2050, Edita Baniene, head of the ministry's communication department, said on Monday.

According to the long-term safe traffic strategy, Lithuania initially aims to achieve the target set by the EU -- a two-fold reduction of road deaths by 2030 and eliminate these cases entirely by 2050.

"The strategy is built on a few basic principles such as common responsibility of traffic participants as regards traffic safety, safer roads and streets, safer vehicles and more effective help upon the occurrence of traffic incidents," Baniene was quoted as saying by local media.

According to Baniene, 40 million euros (50 million U.S. dollars) will be invested in traffic safety by 2020, with nearly 20 million euros to be invested annually in the subsequent years of the strategy implementation.

"We have calculations that one euro invested in traffic safety, returns as 10 euros benefit to the state and its people," Baniene said.

According to research conducted by the ministry, around 90 percent of road accidents occur due to the fault of the traffic participants themselves. Around 65 percent of all drivers exceed the speed limits, 45 percent of drivers talk on mobile phones without a hands-free device, and around two to three percent drive under the influence of alcohol.

Forty-three percent of pedestrians do not use or improperly use light reflectors, and 45 percent of passengers do not wear seatbelts when riding in the backseat of a car. The transport ministry strategy involves various solutions for such issues.

Among the targets set by the ministry, the number of speed limit infractions must be reduced by 20 percent by 2030, the number of people talking on mobile phones and not wearing safety belts in the back of a car should be lowered by 40 percent, and not using or improperly using reflectors by 25 percent. Enditem