| The next check revealed more than 500 faulty minibuses Accidents involving minibuses happen in Moscow almost every month. But today it is no longer possible to do without this type of transport, which quickly became popular in the capital. Therefore, state traffic inspectors are trying to at least regularly check their technical condition and remove the most dangerous minibuses from the route. The last such check began on April 5, and already in the first two days of Operation Gazelle, almost every tenth vehicle inspected was removed from the line. Inspectors banned the operation of 564 of the 5,366 vehicles inspected. In particular, the steering wheel of 18 was faulty, the brakes of 7 were faulty, the wheels of 42 were faulty, the headlights of 180 were not working, and the door locks of 45 were broken. 90 cars were driven without additional equipment (first aid kit, fire extinguisher, etc.). 1,888 minibus drivers were found violating traffic rules, and in 22 cases it involved driving into the oncoming lane. Fortunately, only one of the tested minibus drivers was drunk.
As a Vremya Novostei correspondent was told by the capital's traffic police, the check is a planned event and is not caused by any high-profile recent accidents. On the contrary, according to the representative of the press service of the traffic police, Igor Koloskov, the number of violations since the last inspection, carried out in November 2004, has “reduced significantly.” According to him, “traffic police officers visit bases, talk with drivers, work at final stops, and patrol service inspectors check compliance with traffic rules.” Particular attention is paid to “illegal design changes” - or the installation of additional “home-made” seats in pursuit of excess passengers.
However, the factory design of almost the only Russian minibus itself continues to remain far from perfect. Recently, Transport Minister Igor Levitin once again drew attention to this. The minister had in mind, first of all, improving the fastening of seats, increasing the ceiling height by 20 cm and creating the possibility of quick evacuation from the car in the event of an accident. GAZ chief designer Vladimir Chetverikov hinted that these requirements are difficult to meet: for example, it may take the plant more than a year to equip the passenger Gazelle with a luggage compartment (for intercity transportation) and increase the ceiling height. Moreover, many save on the existing passenger version, preferring to make handicrafts of cheaper cargo models or add extra seats. Irina BELASHEVA |
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