Yekaterinburg driver waits 11 hours to report minor accident
Drivers in Yekaterinburg have once again reported long queues at traffic accident processing points. For instance, a woman named Yekaterina was forced to wait a full 11 hours on New Year«s Eve. She had her children with her.
«I had a minor accident. The girl I collided with didn»t have compulsory motor insurance (OSAGO). Moreover, the accident was disputable, so we decided to go to the nearest processing point on Novinskaya (Vtorchermet),« said Yekaterina.
According to her, at the point upon their arrival, there was a crowd of about thirty people. But the problem wasn«t even the number of people, but that the queue was moving very, very slowly.
«We wrote out explanations and drew up a diagram of the accident, after which we were told to wait to be called by an inspector. But processing one accident took on average half an hour! People in the queue were arguing, it came to altercations and insults. Meanwhile, I had my children with me because we live outside the city and needed to go home all together,» explained Yekaterina.
She also said that car owners, waiting for hours in the queue, went to stores for groceries and discussed preparations for the New Year.
«Drivers even suggested putting up a festive Christmas tree in the room. In the crowd, along with the others, stood a woman who had been hit by a motorist who fled. Moreover, the license plate fell off the car. With it, she came to the traffic inspectors,» said Yekaterina.
The woman was eventually able to go home only at three in the morning. All this time, she and the children had to either stand on their feet or sit on the windowsill.
What the Traffic Police Say About This
In the traffic police, the long queues were explained by the pre-holiday influx of motorists into the city, as well as weather conditions.
«In the pre-New Year period, complicated by heavy snowfall, a significant increase in the number of road traffic accidents is traditionally recorded. Only in Yekaterinburg on December 29, 115 accidents were recorded and processed, two of which involved casualties. Such a load objectively affects the time it takes to process documents,» said the Sverdlovsk region traffic police (GIBDD).
The department also emphasized that priorities are set for their crews: first of all, employees go to accidents with casualties, as well as to accidents that block traffic. Thus, on December 29, when Yekaterina was standing in line, between 1:00 PM and 9:00 PM, inspectors went out five times on priority calls, including those involving passenger transport.
«The work of traffic accident processing points on this day was carried out in normal mode, however, with a significant influx of citizens, employees worked with increased intensity. The leadership of the Yekaterinburg State Traffic Inspectorate reinforced the analysis groups with staff from the traffic police regiment to reduce waiting time. At the same time, it is important to note that the procedure for processing an accident requires time to establish all circumstances,» noted the regional traffic police.
The State Traffic Inspectorate also emphasized that they understand the discomfort that accident participants have to experience during long waits.
«We call on motorists for understanding and remind them of the need for increased caution on the roads in the winter period, which is the main factor in reducing accidents and, consequently, the load on the processing system. We also remind you of the possibility of processing accident documents without the participation of police officers using the »European Protocol« procedure. This mechanism was created specifically for cases where there are no casualties in the accident, only property is damaged,» summarized the department.
It should be noted that motorists« complaints are not limited to queues, but also include amenities.
For example, one Yekaterinburg woman, who recently sat in the processing point from 12:00 PM to 6:30 PM, complained about a dirty toilet and cold in the hall. But there was a domestic reason: that day, one of the batteries was being repaired in the building — for this, workers had to partially disassemble a drywall wall, which, of course, did not add cleanliness.
«Meanwhile, the employees there are normal, didn»t rude. One even told me: «Yes, we know that everything takes a long time.» While we were waiting, the lights even went out for about 20 minutes in the middle of the workday. In short, it was fun,« the girl summarized.
Auto lawyer Oleg Taratukhin, in turn, reminded that the number of traffic accident processing points in Yekaterinburg was reduced from six to two several years ago.
«This is an unacceptable situation when people stand for hours. At the very least, it»s inhumane. At the same time, I sympathize with the traffic inspectors, who are also heavily overloaded. The problem is not in their work, but in the system as a whole, the personnel shortage, and the lack of automation of the process. I very much hope that measures will be taken to reduce waiting time,« said the auto lawyer.
Long queues are not only a problem for the traffic police. Earlier we published an honest explanation from a police officer on where the massive crowds for official red seals in Yekaterinburg come from.
Also read the report from the migration department of the police on Bauman — crowds regularly form there due to obtaining new passports and changing documents.
