The purpose of this review is to provide an overall description and assessment of the Russian Federation's work to improve road safety and to suggest steps which might be taken to secure long-lasting, cost-effective and publicly acceptable improvements in road safety. There has been a rapid increase in access to motor cars and further development in public policy, legal frameworks and road safety management is required. The Russian Federation has the highest road death rate per 100,000 population of all ECMT member countries and contributes one third of all road deaths in these countries. Against a background of a 260% increase in the car fleet since the early 1990s and a decrease in population, there has been a dramatic deterioration in road safety. The socioeconomic costs of crashes are officially estimated at around 2.5% of GDP. The problem is concentrated in Russia's largest cities, particularly Moscow. High motor vehicle speeds, a poor road environment and poor vehicle crash protection are cited as causes. This review considers the international perspective, road safety in the Russian Federation, road safety management and ways of enhancing its performance. Eight appendices describe the Swedish vision zero policy, the Dutch sustainable safety policy, the main risk factors for road injuries, the key road safety strategies / interventions, the ECMT road safety target, three levels of road safety problems in ECMT countries, the British penalty points system, and the Dutch road hierarchy. Conclusions and recommendations for priority actions are provided.
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