In RS, 13 people died riding motorcycles last year, 71 drivers injured

The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Republika Srpska is organizing an intensified traffic participant control operation this week, with an emphasis on controlling drivers of motorcycles, light motorcycles, mopeds, and bicycles, it was announced from the MUP of RS, reports the Patria News Agency.

The operation will be carried out throughout Republika Srpska, and its goal is the preventive action of the MUP in order to reduce the number of traffic accidents and improve the safety of traffic participants.

The MUP of RS explains that the most common causes of traffic accidents involving two-wheel vehicle drivers are inappropriate and improper speed, as well as technical malfunctions. Furthermore, it has been observed that a large number of motorcycles, light motorcycles, and mopeds are not registered, and that drivers and passengers do not use protective helmets and do not have a driving license for this category of vehicles.

In 2015, 13 drivers of motorcycles and mopeds died, and 71 drivers sustained serious bodily injuries. In the same period, six bicycle drivers died, and 39 sustained serious bodily injuries. In the first three months of 2016, 3 motorcycle/moped drivers and 7 bicycle drivers sustained serious bodily injuries, while there were no fatalities in the observed period.

The MUP reminds that according to the Law on the Fundamentals of Road Traffic Safety in BiH, it is mandatory for drivers of motorcycles, light motorcycles, mopeds, and bicycles to use a protective helmet while driving, and that bicycle drivers must properly use a reflective vest from dusk till dawn, as well as during the day in case of reduced visibility, reports NAP.