Online trainings are being launched in all 28 District Road Safety Commissions. The aim is to increase the role of the regions in implementing road safety policies. The initiative is carried out by State Agency Road Safety (SARS) and is taking place in the context of the currently developed Strategy in the area for the next 10-year period. The trainings are conducted by a SARS team of experts in control activities, rescue chain, and engineering.
The online discussions are attended by local-level representatives of District Road Safety Commissions, which include representatives of district administrations, regional structures of institutions involved, municipalities, etc. SARS has not placed any restrictions on the number of enrolled participants, the aim being for more employees to be acquainted with the measures and to ensure interchangeability in their work. The trainings will continue until the end of the month and currently, more than 500 participants from across the country have signed up.
The online manuals include four main modules: i) General concepts and scale of the problem; ii) The Road Safety Strategy 2021-2030 and its action plans; iii) Elements of the preparation of district-level road safety programming plans and reports; iv) The role and importance of Commissions as coordination structures. The training covers both theoretical aspects and practical case studies. Each module is followed by discussions where regional representatives ask questions and offer suggestions based on their work and experience.
Key objectives include provision of methodological guidance for the introduction of a uniform approach to the work of District Commissions. The emphasis is on the planning and regular implementation of training in major road accident response to improve the synchronization of all institutions and organizations within a single rescue chain.
Foreign and national experience unequivocally shows that the effectiveness of road safety policies is directly related to activity and actions at the local and regional levels. At the same time, some District Commissions in the country had not held meetings for years. In 2019, SARS made consistent efforts to intensify their work, with training aimed at setting a new basis for the deployment of road safety policies over the next decade.