Sienkevych wants the Cabinet of Ministers to allow the city council to install cameras to record traffic offences

Mykolaiv City Council will appeal to the Cabinet of Ministers to grant the city the right to install its own cameras for the automatic detection of traffic offences.

This instruction was given by Mayor Oleksandr Sienkevych during a staff meeting on 6 July, according to NikVesti.

According to him, the initiative is linked to the rise in the number of road traffic accidents with serious consequences. In particular, he recalled the fatal accident on the «Mykolaiv — Odesa» motorway, in which employees of the municipal enterprise «Mykolaivelektrotrans» were killed.

«We cannot pinpoint the exact cause of this accident. Preliminary findings suggest that one person failed to ensure the safety of their manoeuvre and effectively forced the minibus driver to swerve, causing the vehicle’s wheels to strike the right-hand side of the verge. This caused the minibus to spin round and be thrown into the oncoming lane, where it collided with a lorry. We all know the outcome,» the mayor noted.

The mayor also pointed out that in Mykolaiv itself, serious breaches of the highway code are being recorded with increasing frequency — speeding, driving through red lights, ignoring stop lines and failing to give way to pedestrians.

«In the wake of this tragedy, we are all talking about what has become a problem. We see this problem in Mykolaiv too. Over the last few months, there has been an increase in fatal road accidents in Mykolaiv,» remarked Oleksandr Sienkevych.

In an appeal to the government, the city authorities will ask it to consider transferring powers to local authorities to install automatic photo and video enforcement systems for traffic offences.

«Let’s draft a resolution for the council session and appeal to the Cabinet of Ministers regarding the transfer of the authority to install speed cameras to local authorities, with 90 per cent of the fines going to the local budget. I believe Mykolaiv could strike gold. Seriously. Because of the reckless drivers we have in Mykolaiv — the only way to keep them in check is through fines. Please prepare the draft and send it round the committees. This is no longer a matter of culture; it has become a matter of life and death. When people are run over, when control is completely lost. They get drunk, drive round the city whilst intoxicated, crash into others and take the lives of children and adults. We can no longer turn a blind eye to this issue,» commented the mayor.

Accident on the motorway near Mykolaiv on 4 July

The accident occurred on the morning of 4 July on the M-14 «Odesa–Melitopol–Novoazovsk» motorway, near the junction with the road to the village of Shchaslyve. A Mercedes Sprinter passenger minibus and a Volvo lorry collided.

Initially, the police reported nine fatalities and eight injured with varying degrees of severity. However, they later clarified that 12 people had died and a further six had been injured. The 49-year-old driver of the Mercedes Sprinter minibus and eight of his passengers were killed. A further nine injured people, including the driver of the Volvo lorry and minibus passengers aged between 15 and 67, were hospitalised. As of 11.30 am, three more of the injured had died in hospital.

It has also emerged that the driver of a Nissan Murano may have caused the fatal road traffic accident. According to eyewitnesses, he drove into the oncoming lane in front of the minibus. He then left the scene of the accident. The police have tracked him down.

Furthermore, following the accident, the Minister of the Interior, Ihor Klymenko, made a statement regarding the tragic road traffic accident in the Mykolaiv region.

A Day of Mourning was declared on 5 July in Mykolaiv following the fatal accident.

The public prosecutor’s office has now launched an investigation. According to the investigation, the driver of the Nissan veered into the oncoming lane, creating a dangerous situation for the minibus. In an attempt to avoid a head-on collision, the driver of the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter swerved onto the hard shoulder, lost control, after which the minibus overturned, veered into the oncoming lane and collided with a Volvo lorry.

On Sunday, 5 July, the driver of a Nissan Murano, who may have caused a fatal road accident in the Mykolaiv region, was served with a notice of suspicion.

Double road accident in Mykolaiv

The accident occurred on22 June on Bohoyavlenskyi Avenue. According to the investigation, the driver of a BMW crashed into a Volkswagen Passat and an Opel Mokka, which were on the carriageway following another accident. Three people were injured as a result of the collision.

During the hearing, the prosecutor requested that the suspect, Oleksandr Kozakov, head of the conscription department at the Korabelnyi District Territorial Centre for Conscription and Military Service, be remanded in custody with the possibility of bail set at over 3 million hryvnias. The prosecution highlighted the risks of him absconding from the investigation and trial, potentially influencing witnesses and obstructing the criminal proceedings.

On 24 June, the court remanded the Military Registration and Enlistment Centre employee in custody.

Fatal accident on Tsentralnyi Avenue

As a reminder, the road traffic accident occurred at around 10.15 pm at the junction of Tsentralnyi Avenue and Zakhysnykiv Mykolaiv Street (Dekabrystiv). A Citroën C3 had stopped at a red light. According to police reports, an Audi, driven by a 31-year-old man, collided with the Citroën C3, which was being driven by a 50-year-old woman.

As a result of the collision, the Citroën driver died at the scene of the accident. Her two 17-year-old daughters were also injured. They were taken to hospital. One of the girls later died in hospital.

Investigators detained the Audi driver in accordance with Article 208 of the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine. The man was under the influence of alcohol: his blood alcohol level was recorded at 2.51 per mille.

Investigators also charged the driver under Part 4 of Article 286-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine «Violation of road safety rules or transport operation regulations by persons driving vehicles whilst intoxicated, resulting in the death of several people». For this offence, he faces up to 12 years’ imprisonment and a driving ban of between 7 and 10 years.

Subsequently, on 22 June, the Central District Court of Mykolaiv imposed a pre-trial measure on the Audi driver who caused the fatal accident. He was remanded in custody without the right to bail.