Leading in road safety is Sverdlovsk region, yet lagging behind in terms of road quality for outsiders
In the Ural Federal District, Sverdlovsk Oblast has been ranked as the worst for road quality, with only 53.1% of roads meeting standards. Despite this, the region has managed to maintain a relatively low accident rate.
According to a recent study by RIA Novosti, based on Russian Interior Ministry statistics, Sverdlovsk Oblast ranked 46th in road quality among the regions. However, the oblast recorded 45.6 traffic accidents with casualties per 100,000 units of automotive transport in the first half of 2025. This equates to 51.7 cases per 100,000 residents nationwide, a 9.2% decrease from the previous year.
The low road accident rate in Sverdlovsk Oblast can be attributed to factors such as effective traffic regulation enforcement, driver behavior, and possibly infrastructure management measures that mitigate risks even when road surfaces are suboptimal. Although specific details from the recent RIA Novosti study are not directly available, contextual information suggests that accidents still occur but may involve fewer or less severe incidents overall, contributing to a relatively low accident rate.
Reports of specific accidents in the Sverdlovsk region indicate that violations of traffic rules, such as failure to yield at intersections and driving into oncoming lanes, have been decisive factors. This implies that driver compliance and enforcement could be significant in reducing accident frequency.
Poor road quality might typically increase accident risk, but mitigation can occur through strict traffic law enforcement, infrastructure controls such as regulated intersections, signage, and speed limits, and public awareness and driver cautiousness in known poor-quality road areas. The RIA Novosti study likely highlights this paradox: despite 'poor road quality', the accident rate remains low, which may indicate that road safety management in Sverdlovsk Oblast compensates for infrastructural lapses through regulatory and behavioral factors.
The city of Ekaтериnburg has approved the construction of Kosmonavtov Avenue bypass, a new development, which is not directly related to the road quality or accident rates in Sverdlovsk Oblast. The construction timeline for the new interchange from Academic to EKAD has been adjusted, but the reasons for this adjustment are not specified in the available information. The article does not mention any impact of the new interchange from Academic to EKAD on traffic accidents or road quality in Sverdlovsk Oblast.
Nationwide, 75,500 people were injured in accidents from January to June in 2025. Chechnya, Tomsk Oblast, Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug (YNAO), and Moscow Oblast had lower accident rates compared to Sverdlovsk Oblast. Tuva, Kostroma Oblast, and Kalmykia had the highest accident rates among the regions mentioned.
Sverdlovsk Oblast has 131.5 km of paved roads per 1,000 sq. km, indicating a focus on road infrastructure. If further detailed findings from the RIA Novosti study are needed, accessing the full study would be required, as the search results chiefly provide accident reports without the specific analysis on this paradox.
General-news reports suggest that while Sverdlovsk Oblast ranks low in road quality compared to other regions in Russia, it has managed to maintain a relatively low accident rate, potentially due to factors such as traffic regulation enforcement and driver behavior. Interestingly, sports accidents in the region were not mentioned in the study or news articles.
