The head of the Federal Traffic Police, Viktor Kiryanov, said a new law that enforces severe punishment for driving under the influence and for refusal to undergo a medical examination had finally started bringing positive results.
"That means thousands of saved lives," Kiryanov said. "It is the price of this law."
Unlike several other countries, Russia has a zero-tolerance law on drinking alcohol before sitting behind the wheel, but drivers frequently flout regulations.
According to the official, traffic rule violations, including those by intoxicated drivers, were the cause of 9,601 road deaths in the first half of 2006.
Kiryanov said earlier that reckless and drunk driving was the main reason for Russia's appalling road-safety record. He said the situation would not improve until all road users understood their personal responsibility.
A total of 11,500 people, including 462 children, died in accidents on Russia's roads in the first half of 2006, 7% fewer than in the same period of 2005, the Interior Ministry said in a statement in July.
Some 110,800 people were also injured in road traffic accidents in January-June, of whom around one tenth were children, the ministry said.
