Abstract. The article conceptually describes the main tasks aimed at transport safety advancement and strengthening of national interests of Ukraine in the transport sector. It is noted herein, that the national interests in the transport sector are provided by governmental authorities, which perform their functions based on Ukrainian legislation in the field of transport safety. At the same time, they realize transport safety through implementation of the unified state policy in the field of transport safety, the system of economic, political, organizational and other measures that are adequate to the threats to vital interests of individuals, society and the State in the transport sector.
Key words: transport safety, transport sector, national interests.
Технические науки
УДК 656.13
Stepanov A. V.
PhD in Technical Sciences,
Associate Professor,
Kharkiv National Automobile and Highway University
AN IMPROVEMENT OF TRANSPORT SAFETY RATE
Abstract. The article conceptually describes the main tasks aimed at transport safety advancement and strengthening of national interests of Ukraine in the transport sector. It is noted herein, that the national interests in the transport sector are provided by governmental authorities, which perform their functions based on Ukrainian legislation in the field of transport safety. At the same time, they realize transport safety through implementation of the unified state policy in the field of transport safety, the system of economic, political, organizational and other measures that are adequate to the threats to vital interests of individuals, society and the State in the transport sector.
Key words: transport safety, transport sector, national interests.
Introduction. Transport is one of the basic branches of economy, the effective functioning of which is an essential prerequisite for the defence capacity support, the protection of economic interests of the state, the improvement of living standards of the population [1]. Nowadays transport industry, generally speaking, meets the needs of the national economy and population in transportation, but the level of safety, quality and efficiency of passengers and cargo transportation as well as the rate of anthropogenic impact on the environment are not in congruence with the modern requirements. [4]
The scientific literature studies category of transport safety in various aspects, giving its concept somewhat different meanings [7-11]. For instance, the studies of V.Ya. Anilovich, O.V. Bazhinov, V.M. Varfolomeev, E.S. Wentsel, E.M. Getsovych, M.Ya. Govoruschenko, I.E. Dyumin, E.S. Kuznetsov, V.G. Kukhtov, A.T. Lebedev, V.V. Nichke, M.A. Podryhalo, O.S. Polyansky, A.M. Turenko, and of many others were devoted to the issue of transport safety research on the basis of elementary principles of supporting motor vehicles performance and reliability.
The current stage of development of Ukrainian society is noted for increasing role of the transport sector. The national security of Ukraine strongly depends on transport safety provision and over the course of technical progress this dependence grows accordingly.
The condition of transport safety relates to the vital interests of an individual, the society, the state, and the interests of all physical and legal entities involved in transport sector activities, which altogether makes for the relevance of the topic.
Problem statement. The goal of this article is to consider the main tasks aimed at improving transport safety and strengthening of the national interests of Ukraine in the transport sector.
The Results. The transport sector in Ukraine is greatly affected by, firstly, the position of Ukraine in the world community and the main trends in the development of international relations at the present stage, and secondly, the political situation in the country, the problems of economic and social development that are directly aimed at realization of social, political and geopolitical interests and priorities of the state, at their secure support. In general, the national interests of Ukraine in the transport sector include meeting the needs of an individual, society and the state in the modern range of transport services; achieving high economic efficiency and security of transportation through technical upgrading and modernization of the transport complex; ensuring availability of transport services at a level that guarantees social stability, development of interregional relations and national labor market, as well as reliable delivery of transport services; bringing the transport safety of Ukraine to the level of international standards, which is a necessity for the transit potential of the transport sector, the development of export and import services; preventing and suppressing of criminal acts in the transport sector, including terrorism; strengthening and providing military security of Ukraine.
The national interests in the transport sector are provided by governmental authorities, which perform their functions based on Ukrainian legislation in the field of transport safety [1-5]. Reliable provision of transport safety has now become one of the most challenging tasks for many countries, including Ukraine. This was caused by a number of factors, such as: extremely dangerous methods of committing acts of sabotage in transport used lately by national and international terrorist structures; intensification of national and transnational forms of organized criminality specializing in illegal foreign economic transactions, smuggling, illegal migration, which use transportation arteries for their criminal purposes; tight intertwining of terrorism with international drug traffic [11].
Transport safety advancement activities accumulate not only resistance to illegal drug traffic, but also suppression of smuggling of weapons, ammunition, explosives, means for acts of sabotage implementing. It also takes a stand against continuous growth of other forms of unlawful interference with the functioning of the transport complex, such as blocking of transportation routes and motor vehicles, theft and disorderly conducts on transport, etc., which leads to accidents and destabilizes operation of the sector. In several countries the abovementioned processes are often accompanied by degradation of the overall crime situation in transport, binding of state and criminal structures in the transport sector, ineffective actions of law enforcement authorities, increase of the number of vehicle accidents and other emergencies caused by violation of operating rules for technical systems as well as by physical condition of these systems themselves, their high wear-out rate and technical imperfection.
While contemplating the transport safety, we should note that the transport sector includes transport infrastructure to the fullest extent, namely: all kinds of carrier vehicles, including underground and pipelines, all types of roads and highways, bridges and tunnels, contact lines, all types of stations and terminals, vehicle parking lots, vessels, all kinds of sea and river ports and port facilities, hydrotechnical constructions, airfields, airports, facilities of communication, navigation and traffic flow control systems, as well as all other facilities ensuring proper operation of the transport complex, such as constructions, devices and equipment. Bearing in mind the range and level of possible threats to the transport infrastructure, anyone would conclude that transportation system belongs among the most critical of the objects.
Today, the concept of transport safety is mainly interpreted as prevention of transport terrorism. Antiterrorism imperative of the transport safety has an objective character and is generally caused by significant intensification of terrorist acts in the world, as well as the danger rate they have in the transport sector.
Over the last few years the events of several terrorist attacks with the use of car bombs have shown that vehicles started to be used by terrorists directly as a weapon [11]. However, even taking into account that protection of an individual, society and the state from terrorism, including in the transport sector, is proclaimed a priority today, it should be remembered that prevention and countering terrorist attacks on transport is only a part of the transport safety problem of the country as a whole.
An additional part of it is the transport sector protection from other forms of unlawful interference with the transport activities, including criminal ones, as well as from various kinds of emergencies. In the most general words the concept of "transport safety" can be defined as the system of prevention, resistance and suppression of crimes, including terrorism, in the transport sector; warning system for natural and man-caused transport emergencies; system to prevention or minimization of material and moral damage from crimes and accidents in the transport sector; system aimed at improvement of environmental safety of transportation, environmental sustainability of the transport system; system of national security objectives implementation in the transport sector as a whole.
The systemic nature of the concept of transport safety determines the need for a comprehensive, systematic solution of problems existing in this field [2]. In this regard, transport safety aims to protect passengers, owners, addressees and carriers of goods, owners and operators of vehicles, transport sector and its workers, the economy and budget of the country as well as environment from the threats in the transport sector.
The transport security was designed to perform tasks, which ensure safe for passengers’ life and health travel conditions; security of cargo, baggage and goods; safety of operation and maintenance of transportation facilities and means; economic and foreign security; environmental safety; information security; fire safety; health safety; chemical, bacteriological, nuclear and radiation security; mobilization readiness of the transport complex industries.
Conclusions. This paper shows only a few of aspects of transport safety, since extensive array of different natural, technical and social results in a wide range of internal and external threats, which are classified according to the level of importance, the nature of threats, the spheres and forms of performance that ultimately affect the transport safety of the country. Implementation of the unified state policy in the field of transport security, the system of economic, political, organizational and other measures adequate to threats to vital interests of individuals, society and the state in the transportation sector can help to achieve the transport safety.
References:
1. Law of Ukraine “On Transportation” dated November 10, 1994. №232 / 94-VR // Journal of Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. – 1994. – №51. – p. 446.
2. Decree of the President of Ukraine "On Regulations of the State Inspectorate of Ukraine on land transport safety, as amended by Presidential Decree N 506/2013 dated November 09, 2013.
3. Regulations of the Ministry of Infrastructure of Ukraine approved by the President of Ukraine on May 12, 2011 р. № 581/2011 // CD version of law library "Infodisk: Legislation of Ukraine". – 2012. – № 1.
4. Order of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine dated October 20, 2010 № 2174 "On approval of the Transport Strategy of Ukraine for the period up until 2020".
5. Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine dated October 30, 2008 № 1384-r "On approval of the Concept of the State Targeted Program of Traffic Safety Improvement for years 2009-2012". – Kyiv: Verkhovna Rada, 2008.
6. Automobile Transport in Ukraine. Regulatory framework. – K.: KNT ATIKA, 2004. – page 504.
7. Yedin O. Transport Policy in Ukraine / O. Yedin, Yu. Tsvyetov, L. Sokolov // Economy of Ukraine. – 2000. – №1. – pages 24–34.
8. Provision of Traffic Safety in the countries of Asia and Pacific Region: General information. General Information - Moscow: SIC Traffic Police, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, 1997. – Vol. 4 – page 48.
9. D. A. Skorokhodov. Motor Vehicle Safety Problems / D. A. Skorokhodov, A. L. Starichenkov // Transport Security and Technology. – №2 (3), 2005. – pages 24–27.
10. I. E. Surgachev. "Transport Security" / I.E. Surgachev. – 2007. – page 270.
11. Proceedings of sixteenth scientific-technical conference "Safety systems" – SS-2007 of International informatization forum, Oktober 25, 2007, Moscow. – Moscow: Academy of FMS, 2007. – 235 s.
