You're reading: Yanukovych: Traffic in Ukraine poses serious threat to national safety

Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych has called on the authorities and citizens to support a UN initiative entitled Decade of Action for Road Safety.

"I call for taking serious measures to ward off the terrible consequences of road accidents, and ask all state agencies, political parties, movements, non-governmental organizations, and citizens of Ukraine to support the global initiative of the United Nations," reads the president’s address on the occasion of the official start of the Decade of Action for Road Safety, according to the presidential press service.

President Yanukovych said that according to World Bank estimates, the economy of Ukraine loses about $5 billion annually due to road accidents.

"The situation with traffic in Ukraine has become one of main threats to national security today," the president said.

He referred to the statistics on the death rate as a result of accidents in Ukraine.

"Ukraine is fifth in Europe in terms of deaths in road accidents. According to official statistics, last year some 4,709 people were killed and 38,917 injured in road accidents. A third of the people killed [in road accidents] were aged under 29," the president said.