Drivers of Latvia are still aggressive, says road safety authority

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Traffic in Latvia is quite aggressive and it could be linked to the penalty policies, said Aivars Aksenoks, board member of the Road Traffic Safety Directorate (CSDD), in an interview to Latvian Radio on August 29.

“It must be acknowledged that traffic in Latvia is really quite aggressive. [...] And so it has been virtually always," Aksenoks said.

He pointed to police data showing that the number of drivers fined for aggressive driving has soared in recent years. Photo radars also show that this year many more drivers violate the speed limit.

At the same time, police are also increasing their opportunities to control aggressive driving. "There are special cars that record combinations of the various offenses. Also used to control drone traffic," Aksenoks said.

The CSDD's representative said that behavior could have been influenced by the Covid-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine, and the related difficult economic situation. “A lot of people have problems with money, personal problems. Often, it is taken out while driving the car," he said.

In his opinion, the situation cannot only be improved by educational campaigns. Punishments and their inescapability are also essential. A fine should also be imposed for a 3% speed limit violation.

“First of all, we should get drivers to follow the prescribed speed. We have to try to reduce the speed on Latvia's roads by 10 kilometers per hour, so that the drivers comply with the prescribed speed, this is really very important,” Aksenok said.

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