Zelenskyy announces NSDC meeting on road situation: More than cosmetic changes to rules needed
A meeting of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine (NSDC) on the situation on the roads will take place in the near future, and measures will be developed to increase accountability for systematic violations of traffic rules, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated following a conversation with NSDC Secretary Ihor Klymenko.
"A meeting of the NSDC will be held in the near future to address the situation that, unfortunately, exists on Ukrainian roads… We must increase the penalties for those who systematically violate traffic rules and show disregard for human life. And we need effective measures, not merely cosmetic changes to the rules and penalties. I expect the NSDC Secretary to engage lawmakers, civil society organizations, and all necessary state institutions to prepare the appropriate changes," Zelenskyy said during an evening video address on Monday.
He said "we must protect every life and create conditions where life is truly safe."
"Another completely unacceptable incident occurred today in the capital, when a car traveling at high speed collided with another vehicle and veered onto the sidewalk. The driver was someone who, to be honest, should have lost their license a long time ago. There have been petitions regarding the situation on the roads, as well as appeals, including one from Oleksiy Hlushych, the father of a 12-year-old boy who was killed in a traffic accident," Zelenskyy said.
As reported, on July 10, a petition on the presidential website regarding the need to bring the issue of road fatalities and injuries before the NSDC garnered the required number of votes.
According to the petition platform on the website of the President's Office, the petition was submitted by the father of a boy who died in a traffic accident in Kyiv, Oleksiy Hlushych, a serviceman of the Second Corps of the Khartia National Guard, on June 26, 2026, and has already garnered 25,005 votes out of the 25,000 required for consideration by the head of state.
Two bills have been registered in the Verkhovna Rada aimed at increasing penalties for dangerous traffic violations. Bill No. 15348-1, initiated by Roman Hryshchuk and supported by more than 50 MPs, provides, in particular, for the revocation of driving privileges for repeat offenders and increased criminal liability for fatal traffic accidents.
An alternative bill was drafted by the relevant committee and primarily calls for higher fines. The committee recommended that the Verkhovna Rada adopt its own bill as the basis for further consideration.
On August 7, Zelenskyy sent a letter to Klymenko and Prime Minister Serhiy Koretsky requesting a comprehensive review of the issues raised in an online petition regarding habitual traffic offenders and road fatalities.