Kazakhstan has started the development of the country's first ever Road Safety Strategy. Its goal is to reduce road deaths by at least 30% in five years.

The project is being developed by the “Kazakhstan Road Research Institute” on the instructions of the Committee of Highways of the Ministry of Transport of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The document is expected to become a key tool in the fight against the growing accident rate on the country's roads.

According to official data from the Committee on Legal Statistics of the Prosecutor General's Office of the Republic of Kazakhstan, in 2024, more than 31 thousand accidents were registered in the country, which is almost twice as many as a year earlier. According to the agency, more than 43 thousand people suffered and 2,421 died as a result of road accidents.

“The situation requires a systematic approach and immediate solutions. That is why the development of a strategy has been initiated, which for the first time will unite the efforts of all government agencies and set out definite measures to improve safety on the roads”, - commented in the press service of ‘KazdorNII’.*

According to the project, the Road Safety Strategy will include personalized work plans for each state body in the field of road safety, taking into account international practices; amendments to the legislation of Kazakhstan; introduction of mandatory audit and inspection of road safety at all phases of the life cycle of roads - from design to operation.

Special attention in the development of the strategy is paid to the experience of countries that have achieved significant success in ensuring road safety, such as Sweden, Czech Republic, South Korea and Japan. Their approaches will be adapted to the specifics of our country.

It is expected that the final document will become the basis for building a holistic and sustainable road safety system in Kazakhstan, aimed at saving lives and reducing the number of accidents.

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According to the World Health Organization and UNICEF, more than 1.3 million people die every year in the world as a result of road traffic accidents. Every day, roads claim the lives of about 500 children. Road accidents remain the main cause of death in the age group from 5 to 29 years old. Kazakhstan, unfortunately, has not become an exception.