The State Traffic Inspectorate reminded how to keep children safe on the roads.

      Since the beginning of the year, 760 traffic accidents have occurred in the Nizhny Novgorod region, resulting in 993 injuries and 40 fatalities. This was reported by the head of the State Traffic Safety Inspectorate for the region, Vladimir Yezhov, at a press conference in the Nizhny Novgorod Regional Information Center (NOIC).

      Violation of Traffic Rules

      Compared to the same period last year, the number of traffic accidents has decreased by 5.2%. The number of injured and deceased has also declined. As noted by Vladimir Yezhov, most accidents occur due to drivers' violations of traffic rules. The most common causes in the first quarter of 2026 were speeding, inappropriate speed for specific traffic conditions, and crossing into oncoming traffic. Additionally, tragedies on the roads often happen due to unbuckled seat belts. In 68 cases, 15 drivers died, and in 34 cases, 12 passengers were victims. All of them were not wearing seat belts.

      

      Child Injuries

      The issue of child injuries is of particular concern to the State Traffic Safety Inspectorate employees. In the first quarter of this year, 60 traffic accidents involving minors were registered, resulting in 67 injured children. Fortunately, there were no fatalities. In the same period last year, there were 63 accidents, and one teenager died. Most often, the injured children in traffic accidents were passengers; however, in 23 cases, minors were involved in accidents as pedestrians, and in one case, as a driver.

      Out of 36 accidents in which minors were injured, the State Traffic Safety Inspectorate identified 6 cases of violations of child transportation rules—unbuckled seat belts or lack of restraint devices. Vladimir Yezhov reminded that children over 11 years old can be transported in the front seat. Children aged 7 to 11 can ride in the back seat without a car seat but must be buckled up. Young passengers in this age group can only be transported in the front seat if they are in restraint devices. Children under 7 must be transported in a car seat or special child seat appropriate for their age and weight.

      "Therefore, the better we choose a seat for the child, the fewer consequences there will be in case of an accident," added the head of the State Traffic Safety Inspectorate for the region and warned that starting from January 2026, the amount of the administrative fine for violating child transportation rules in a car increased from 3,000 to 5,000 rubles.

      Seasonal Accidents

      With the arrival of warm weather, the number of incidents involving motorcycles and electric scooters traditionally increases. In 2025, 181 accidents involving SIM were recorded, resulting in 189 injuries and one fatality.

      "Despite the fact that weather conditions do not yet favor the opening of the season, we are already recording cases of teenagers riding pit bikes, motorcycles, and scooters without driver's licenses and neglecting seat belts and helmets," noted Vladimir Yezhov.

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      Motorcycles and mopeds attract attention due to their speed and maneuverability.

      However, having a driver's license is not always a guarantee of safe motorcycle operation on the road.

      "There are many factors that influence this, including adherence to traffic rules, the use of protective gear, and driving culture," explained Vladimir Yezhov.

      Road Safety

      The Nizhny Novgorod State Traffic Safety Inspectorate regularly conducts activities aimed at preventing injuries. The results are evident—only two accidents with injuries involving SIM occurred in the first quarter of this year, and one involving motorcycles.

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      The season has just opened, and the list of those injured in traffic accidents has already begun to grow.

      Additionally, in May of last year, a preventive mobile complex "Safety Laboratory" was launched to teach children traffic rules. Children model various traffic situations in a playful manner, learning to behave safely on the road. Over the year, State Traffic Safety Inspectorate employees have visited the districts of the Nizhny Novgorod region 56 times.

      The regional prosecutor's office is also doing important work to prevent child injuries on the roads.

      "The first thing we start with is the safety of road infrastructure, especially in places where children concentrate, near schools and kindergartens," said Marina Shevtsova, head of the department for oversight of the rights, freedoms, and legal interests of minors at the Nizhny Novgorod Regional Prosecutor's Office. "For example, there is no lighting near the school, no fencing, or pedestrian crossings."

      Agency employees monitor the implementation of municipal programs in the field of road safety and visit schools if signals are received that the educational institution is not paying due attention to prevention.

      Responsibility for the Child

      Marina Shevtsova also reminded that the responsibility for traffic accidents committed by minors falls on their parents. Before buying a pit bike or moped for a teenager, one should think carefully about whether it is worth doing.

      "It’s good if nothing happened to your child, but you will bear responsibility financially and may have to pay for many years," emphasized the expert. "In addition to administrative responsibility, parents may face criminal liability. In Russia, there is already a practice of bringing charges under Article 151.2 for involving minors in dangerous activities."

      The employees of the State Traffic Safety Inspectorate and the prosecutor's office agree that it is primarily the parents' responsibility to ensure the safety of their children on the roads.

      "If we talk to children daily about the need to follow traffic rules, showing them by personal example, we will achieve good results so that our children do not suffer and are not participants in reports," noted Vladimir Yezhov. "And most importantly, we must explain to children that every prank, every inattentive crossing of the roadway in an unauthorized place, and riding a scooter or bicycle through a pedestrian crossing can turn into a tragedy."

      Maya Simakina Photo: Alexander Volozhanin