On Friday, June 7, 2019, and on Saturday, June 8, 2019, traffic safety events were held in Kutná Hora, focusing on drivers for whom the police banned the use of alcoholic drinks and other addictive substances.
These traffic safety actions took place on the basis of preventive measures to ensure road safety and smoothness, in an effort to reduce persistent discipline and the number of road accidents under the influence of alcohol. From the beginning of this year, Kutná Hora’s traffic police officers saved 15 cases of traffic accidents when the culprit affected by an addictive substance. In the same period in 2018, there were 18 cases where the culprit was under the influence of an addictive substance.
The police checked a total of 123 vehicles and imposed 13 fines totaling CZK 2,800. These included, for example, non-attachment of a seat belt, non-marking of a pedestrian with a reflective element, the unsuitable technical condition of the vehicle. There was no evidence of driving under the influence of alcoholic beverages.
TISPOL is an organization that brings together European police forces in the field of transport issues and is based on the transfer of experience and information. The main goal is to implement traffic safety actions across Europe. Actions are always focused on specific issues such as alcohol and drugs, speed, freight, and bus.
Security-preventive events of a similar nature will be held in Kutná Hora all year round.
Traffic police officers and police officers in the Kutná Hora region also focus on pedestrians in traffic. They are not indifferent to their safety. Traffic safety events focused mainly on places where pedestrians can expect to travel on the road outside the municipality, or the movement of other non-motorized road users in relation to their visibility is ongoing and will take place repeatedly.
It is our visibility that fundamentally influences whether the driver avoids us or collides with us. Reflective vests are very important under reduced visibility.
Pedestrian visibility
Especially important is the lower part of the body, the color of the trousers and shoes and the stroller, which we are pushing in front of us, so we can see first. Reflective materials are best placed on the most moving part – attracting more attention.
Cyclist visibility
The bicycle must always have a reflector on the front, rear, side, and pedals. In addition, the front and rear lights are reduced in low visibility. Reflective tape on the ankle is the ideal accessory.
Do not drink and drive
Alcohol is gradually released from the digestive system into the blood after ingestion of the beverage containing it. Because it is not commonly present in the body and can be considered a foreign substance – the drug – the body tries to destroy it. It depends on many factors that affect the rate at which alcohol is eliminated from the body. Excretion of alcohol occurs through breath, sweat, and urine. The rest is processed in the digestive system. The main factors influencing the mechanism of alcohol elimination include height, weight, and sex, as well as the rate at which alcohol is taken. In an hour, the body can get rid of about 0.1 per mille. It is not important whether one sleeps or sports. Neither black coffee nor fatty foods have the necessary effect. And there is no miracle pill.
Another danger that many drivers often underestimate is the sneaky residual alcohol and the subsequent “hangover” with the overall downturn. The results of the research have clearly shown that a value of around 0.2 per mille in the blood is already proving to impair the ability to drive. Risks tend to increase, self-confidence increases, the ability to recognize moving lights deteriorates, and distances are poorly estimated.
Serious traffic accidents occur through unsafe driving, driver recklessness, and non-compliance. All road users must realize that road safety cannot be ensured by violating traffic regulations and rising aggressive driving. Despite all the efforts of police officers to carry out traffic actions and increased surveillance on the roads, it is not entirely safe on our roads, as drivers and all road users in particular need to be considerate and have a common interest in reducing road accidents on our roads.