Armenia’s interior minister says stricter traffic fines aim to prevent violations, improve road safety

Armenia’s Minister of Internal Affairs Arpine Sargsyan has addressed changes to administrative fines for traffic violations and the results of the Patrol Service’s work, stressing that the primary purpose of increasing fines is not to boost state revenues but to prevent violations and change citizens’ behavior.

“I want to reaffirm my position that, from the Ministry’s perspective, stricter measures are primarily intended to serve a preventive purpose,” Sargsyan told reporters during a press briefing, stressing that penalties should prompt citizens to reconsider their decisions to violate traffic rules.

She highlighted that a number of changes have been introduced recently, including a 20% reduction in fines for switching to electronic notifications and a 30% reduction for paying a fine within 15 days. However, despite these options and an increase in the number of violations detected, the expected change in behavior has yet to be fully observed.

Sargsyan stressed that consistent measures are necessary to ensure road safety. Traffic violations cannot go without consequences or be cost-free; every violation must have consequences. As an example, the minister singled out cases of double parking, for which tens of thousands of administrative violations have been recorded.

“Even when patrol officers impose penalties 172% more often—that is, detect more violations—it does not in any way help stop people from committing those violations. Under these circumstances, we must move toward stricter measures,” the minister said.

According to Arpine Sargsyan, patrol officers work without rest, from morning until evening, in all areas to restore discipline. Effective management, however, also requires setting priorities: depending on the situation, managers must be able to determine which categories of violations require greater attention in terms of prevention and detection on a given day or during a particular month.

However, the problems across all areas limit this opportunity. The minister stressed that double parking cannot be considered acceptable behavior, with the amount of the fine being the only matter open to discussion. Consistent measures are necessary to ensure road safety: traffic violations cannot go without consequences, and compliance with traffic rules is every citizen’s responsibility.

Addressing the results of road safety measures, Sargsyan presented figures showing a decline in the number of people killed and injured.

“Comparing 2024 and 2025, there were 95 fewer road deaths in the Republic of Armenia. According to the figures available today, compared with the same period last year, there have been seven fewer deaths and 40 fewer injuries,” the minister said.

According to her, the Patrol Service has doubled the detection of several types of violations directly related to road traffic safety, and in some cases, the number has tripled.

She emphasized that the positive changes in road safety statistics should not be attributed solely to the work of the Patrol Service, although its role is significant, adding that efforts to reduce traffic violations, prevent accidents, and minimize fatalities and injuries will continue.