WAR AS A CHALLENGE TO ROAD SAFETY: DAMAGE TO SOCIETY AND THE ECONOMY OF UKRAINE

Abstract

Purpose of the article. Russia's armed aggression against Ukraine has become a real challenge and threat to Ukrainian society in various aspects of life. The lack of financial resources due to the defensive nature of the economy caused by the war makes it difficult to ensure road safety in Ukraine and to prevent deaths and injuries on the roads. The topical issue of the state of road safety in Ukraine is also related to its European integration course, as road safety is a priority European policy task for EU member states. The aim of this article is to conduct a criminological analysis of the state of road safety in Ukraine during the war, and to determine the damage caused by road traffic injuries and fatalities to the Ukrainian economy and society as a whole, taking into account the war situation. Research conclusion. The assessment of the state of road safety in Ukraine is based on official statistical information from the General Prosecutor's Office and the Department of Patrol Police, and the theoretical conclusions are based on the results of an anonymous survey of Ukrainian drivers on their compliance with traffic rules. The study of the level of road traffic accidents with fatalities and injuries in Ukraine has shown that the state of road safety deteriorated during the war in comparison with the pre-war period. The impact of the war on this condition is diverse and depends on the dislocation of the region in Ukraine and the intensity of combat operations in a given area. It has been established that among the factors significantly influencing the quantitative and qualitative indicators of violations in the field of road safety during the war, the most significant are the destruction of objects of road and transport infrastructure, a decrease in the effectiveness of patrol police activities, the construction of road fortifications, etc. The article also reveals the characteristics of the road safety system in wartime, emphasising the inadmissibility of extrapolating the state of road safety from the pre-war period to wartime, including in the direction of preventing violations in this area.

Keywords

• war
• road safety
• road deaths and injuries
• traffic violations
• vision zero
• economic losses