Next study tour took place as part of Twinning project “Increasing Road Safety in Azerbaijan”

Another study tour took place within the framework of the Twinning project “Increasing Road Safety in Azerbaijan”, funded by the European Union and beneficiary of which is the Ministry of Digital Development and Transport (MDDT).

The study tour was organized to Vilnius city of the Republic of Lithuania for the first component of the project “Strengthening the legal and institutional framework for road safety system”.

In addition to the departments and bodies of MDDT, representatives of the Main State Traffic Police Department of the State Road Police of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the State Service for Antimonopoly Control and Supervision of the Consumer Market of the Ministry of Economy, and State Road Agency of Azerbaijan also took part in the tour.

The purpose of the study tour was to monitor the activities of the responsible authorities of the Republic of Lithuania in the relevant field in order to improve the organizational structure of the bodies responsible for road safety in our country for better implementation of legislative and technical requirements, coordination and management of road safety measures, monitoring the activities of state bodies and other stakeholders in this area, to familiarize themselves with the division of powers, the institutional structure and their activities.

On the first day of the tour, the representatives participated in a social event organized by the Lithuanian Transport Safety Administration as part of the European Mobility Week. The event was dedicated to solving the problem of pedestrian fatalities due to not using reflective elements.

During the tour,  meetings were held  with the representatives from  Lithuanian Transport Safety Administration (LTSA), Ministry of Transport and Communications (MoTC), Transport Competence Agency (TKA), Lithuanian Road Administration, the association of companies for vehicle technical inspection Transeksta, international bus manufacturer Altas, Lithuanian Police Department, State Enterprise “Regitra”, which is a driver examination center, and  the Vilnius School of Auto Mechanics and Business for training professional drivers. Also, online meetings were held with the representatives of Clevon, an Estonian company specializing in unmanned vehicles.

The meetings provided detailed information on the organization of the activities of the mentioned institutions and the legislative framework.

The LTSA plays an important role in various aspects of road safety. Its main functions include licensing of road carriers, ensuring the regulation of passenger transport on international routes, and approving vehicle types. In addition, the Ministry of Transport and Communications is the leading authority in the development of Lithuanian road transport safety policy.

During the meetings,  Lithuanian experience on such issues as road safety inspection (audit) by TKA, road traffic inspection, identification and digital mapping of “black spots” (dangerous road junctions and road infrastructure sections), Road Information Center of the Lithuanian Road Department, sectoral speed cameras, meteorological observation stations, the status and prospects of road infrastructure was studied.

The representatives of Azerbaijan also  had an opportunity to visually familiarize themselves with the periodic technical inspection carried out by Transeksta, the technical condition of vehicles, driver inspection by Regitra, issuance of state registration plates to vehicles, the process of assembling bus parts in accordance with the principles of type approval at  Altas, speed cameras and other equipment of the Lithuanian Police Department, improving driving skills in hazardous weather conditions at Vilnius School of Automobile Mechanics and Business, as well as the specialized auto parts repair courses conducted at the Vilnius Car Mechanics and Business School.

Thus, the representatives of the two countries exchanged views in the relevant field and got acquainted with the best practices.

It should be noted that the aim of the project is to improve the legal and institutional capacity and human resources of relevant government agencies and other stakeholders to better manage and coordinate road safety issues in Azerbaijan, contribute to the reduction of road accidents resulting in death or serious health injuries and socio-economic damage.