Translated material
Happy day with fire
Changes to the Traffic Rules come into force tomorrow
Traffic rules and the “automobile” chapter of the Code of Administrative Offenses seem to have become the most changeable area of domestic legislation: on Saturday, new amendments to the traffic rules and the Code of Administrative Offenses will come into force, which will once again adjust the rules of conduct for drivers on the roads and establish new fines for their violations.From November 20, pedestrian rights will be slightly expanded. Drivers are required to give way to those crossing the street at a zebra crossing even when pedestrians have just stepped onto the roadway. According to the previous version of the rules, the driver had to slow down when the pedestrian was already walking along the zebra crossing. Thus, when crossing the street, a citizen may not look around, but he should not forget that an exception to the rules is made for cars with special signals. When approaching cars “with a blue or red flashing light on and a special sound signal,” the pedestrian “must refrain from crossing the roadway, and pedestrians on it must immediately vacate the roadway.”
However, as it turned out, this rule has its caveats. Deputy Head of the Road Traffic Safety Department (ROSA) of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Vladimir Kuzin explained to the public yesterday: “If a pedestrian has just begun to cross a road with a large number of rows, then the driver, seeing a pedestrian on a zebra crossing, will not break the rules if he passes the crossing without stopping, -- but at the same time, the motorist must assess the situation and make sure that he will have time to pass without disturbing pedestrians.”
According to representatives of the traffic police, the procedure for entering areas with roundabouts is being clarified. Priority will be given to drivers who are already on the circle; those who enter such a section will have to wait (in accordance with the new edition of clause 13.9 of the traffic rules - “Transition of uncontrolled intersections”). By the way, as reported by the Traffic Management Center (TCOC) of the Moscow government, “give way” signs have already been installed at all roundabouts in the capital.
The leader of the Russian Motorists Movement, Viktor Pokhmelkin, believes that in this case nothing fundamentally new is being introduced into the traffic rules. “The rules for driving roundabouts do not change,” Mr. Pokhmelkin emphasized in a conversation with a Vremya Novostey correspondent. “The following innovation has appeared in the rules: if there is a sign “give way” and at the same time a sign warning that you are entering a roundabout intersection, then you are obliged to give way to those who are on this circle.” If there is no such sign, then the previous rule remains - “interference on the right,” notes Pokhmelkin: if there is no sign, then the one who enters the circle on the right has priority.
From now on, drivers moving around the city during the day will have to drive with their low beams on. Let us remind you that previously the rules required the mandatory use of lights only when driving outside populated areas. In addition, the new edition of the traffic rules will introduce the concept of “daytime running lights”, which migrated into domestic legislation from the International Convention on Road Traffic of 1968 - some foreign cars are equipped with such LED lights located in the bumper or headlights. Mr. Kuzin assured: when deciding whether to punish or not for not turning on headlights, traffic cops will act rationally. “If the lights are not turned on on a sunny day, when this violation does not pose a danger on the road, the traffic police officer may limit himself to a verbal warning and will not fine,” emphasized the deputy head of the traffic police.
In general, from Mr. Kuzin’s words it followed that the inspector must evaluate any violation of traffic rules based on specific circumstances: “If a non-serious violation was committed, did not create a danger on the road and was caused not by malicious intent, but by the driver’s inattention, then the inspector may limit himself to verbal remark ."
“Most of the innovations introduced into the traffic rules can be welcomed: this concerns the obligation to turn on low beam headlights during the day in a populated area,” says Viktor Pokhmelkin. “This is the right standard, it is valid in many countries and really helps reduce accidents.” Any references to the fact that these are some additional costs, according to the expert, “are not accepted, since we are talking about safety.”
Traffic police officers and other operational services, as well as driving school instructors and taxi drivers, who were previously allowed to drive unfastened, are now required to use seat belts, just like all ordinary road users.
The new edition of the traffic rules also promises some relaxations for road users. After the amendments come into force, the concept of “overtaking” will be interpreted less strictly. According to the new rules, overtaking is considered not any “advance associated with leaving one’s lane,” but the advance of one or more cars associated with entering oncoming traffic and “the subsequent return to the previously occupied lane or side of the road.” Now it will be possible to overtake slow-moving vehicles even where there is a sign “overtaking is prohibited” (however, it must be taken into account that the aforementioned slow-moving vehicle must be equipped with a special sign). At the same time, the new edition of the traffic rules clearly states: overtaking is prohibited if the car you are ahead of is overtaking someone.
Serious changes will also affect the procedure for passing exams for driving licenses of categories A, B, C and D. From Saturday - the day the amendments enter into legal force - employees of the examination departments of the traffic police will begin to take exams on new tickets, which are drawn up taking into account innovations in traffic rules. As the press service of the Road Traffic Safety Department (DRS) explained to journalists, “the quality of illustrations in the new tickets has been improved, in addition, during their preparation, suggestions and comments from driving schools, public associations and motorists were taken into account; at the same time, controversial questions and answers to them, which have an ambiguous interpretation, were excluded from the lists.”
Amendments to the traffic rules and changes to the Code of Administrative Offenses, punishing violations of the rules, come into force almost simultaneously. Starting from Sunday, the responsibility of drivers for driving onto tram tracks in the opposite direction will be tightened. Now this offense is punishable by deprivation of rights for a period of four to six months (previously, the maximum penalty was a fine of 1 to 1.5 thousand rubles). For driving in oncoming traffic on a one-way street, a fine of 5 thousand rubles is imposed. - as an alternative to deprivation of rights. The same 5 thousand will have to be paid to drivers whose departure into oncoming traffic was caught by video recording equipment. The fine for non-compliance with road signs or markings has been increased threefold - from 100 to 300 rubles. You will have to pay a hundred rubles if you are found guilty of violating the new rule mentioned above - the mandatory use of low beam headlights during the day.
“In my opinion, there are no fundamental changes,” comments Pokhmelkin. “In fact, the responsibility has been increased only for driving onto tram tracks in the opposite direction - it is equivalent to driving into the oncoming lane of the road.”