1,499 ACCIDENTS INVOLVING YOUNG DRIVERS IN SEVEN MONTHS

BANJA LUKA, AUGUST 12 /SRNA/ - A total of 1,499 traffic accidents involving young drivers were recorded on roads in Republika Srpska in the first seven months of this year, the Ministry of the Interior /MoI/ of Republika Srpska said.

Young drivers are defined as drivers aged up to 21 or those with up to three years of driving experience. Fatalities were recorded in nine traffic accidents, while participants in 76 accidents sustained serious bodily injuries. When it comes to the errors that led to traffic accidents, inappropriate and excessive speed was by far the most common. The Ministry of the Interior said that speed was the primary cause of as many as eight fatal traffic accidents, as well as 24 accidents in which participants sustained serious bodily injuries. The Ministry of the Interior of Republika Srpska has launched a preventive campaign, “Speed Is a Choice! The Consequences Are Not,” primarily targeting young drivers and aimed at raising awareness of the dangers of excessive speed and its potential consequences for all road users. “Speed is not just a number on the speedometer. It can often mean the difference between reacting in time and being involved in a traffic accident, between arriving safely and tragedy. Every decision behind the wheel carries responsibility,” the statement said. The Ministry of the Interior appealed to young drivers not to let a few minutes of speeding change their entire lives. “Observe speed limits, adjust your driving to road conditions, and wear your seat belt. Speed is a choice! The consequences are not,” the Republika Srpska Ministry of the Interior stressed.