The decreasing number of roadside crashes (RC) and injured has become noticeable (from 1141 to 879 and 1335 to 1052, respectively) in Kabardino-Balkaria. Driver error caused 76 percent of total RC and include: bad driving, high speed (19.3 percent),driving against traffic on both ways, wrong overtaking (19.2 percent), drunken driving (13.4 percent), wrong driving at crossways (8.3 percent). More than 48 percent of the total RC were observed from May to September, 47 percent occuring between 6 and llpm. RC occured most frequently on Wednesday, Thursday and Saturdays' (30.6 percent). Pedestrians drunken behaviour led to 29.71 percent of total RC. Drunken drivers caused 25 percent of RC, involving primarily private percent of RC, involving primarily private vehicle owners. On the whole, RC with drunken drivers have increased. For the last 5 years the local police have been reporting drunken driving 2 to 3 times as often. The same data is observed in medical statements: from 36.6 percent in 1991 to 70 percent for the first half of 1994. An educational programme has been worked out to help the drivers. Cooperative research with IAATM is being planned to study alcohol levels in drivers and work out adequate preventive measures. (A)
Samenvatting