Macedonian Minister of Interior Panche Toshkovski, accompanied by Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski, paid a visit to the refurbished command center of the Veles police department, where the Safe City system has been launched for the surrounding region.
Minister Toshkovski reported that the new command center is housed in fully reconstructed and renovated premises that were previously used by the Ministry of Defense but had sat unused for approximately 15 to 20 years.
“Just yesterday, within a 24-hour period, we recorded around 124 violations, while today there were about 27; that amounts to roughly 150 violations in a day and a half across the Veles PD territory, which covers Veles, Kavadarci, Negotino, and Demir Kapija. The majority of the violations were for speeding, while three or four were for running red lights. This represents a striking improvement in traffic rule compliance among Macedonian citizens,” Toshkovski noted.
The interior minister notes that the primary goal of the ‘Safe City’ system is not to issue fines or fill the state budget, but rather to change driving habits and save lives.
“I would like to thank the citizens of Macedonia once again, first and foremost, because by implementing a system whose primary goal is saving lives rather than filling the budget, we have demonstrated that we can truly act in a European manner. The positive outcomes of this approach include significantly fewer fatalities, a marked reduction in traffic accidents, and far fewer negative consequences resulting from the failure to observe traffic regulations,” stressed Toshkovski.
The minister highlighted traffic fatality statistics as a particularly significant indicator of the impact of the measures taken.
“By the end of August, compared to 96 fatalities last year, we have recorded 61 during the same period this year. That is a striking difference for a single year. According to information I have received from experts, if we continue on this path, with all Macedonian citizens adhering to the rules, we could serve as an example not only within Europe but globally, demonstrating how we managed to reduce the number of fatalities by approximately 40 percent in such a short time,” Toshkovski pointed out.
