Traffic rules will be adjusted point by point, but so far without radical changes

The Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Public Chamber (PC), on behalf of President Vladimir Putin, have prepared proposals to improve the Traffic Rules. The norms are unlikely to change radically in the near future, as follows from statements made yesterday by social activists and representatives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. However, it will not be possible without adjustments, for example, in terms of regulating the movement of electric scooters and drones.

On December 23 last year, Vladimir Putin instructed the Cabinet of Ministers and the RF OP to submit proposals on “improving” traffic rules with a deadline of April 1, 2024. The order was given following a meeting between the president and representatives of the OP in November 2023, during which member of the chamber Alexander Kholodov proposed to completely rework the traffic rules and no longer make targeted amendments to them. On Wednesday, a round table was held in the chamber, during which the current situation with traffic rules was discussed.

The rules, Mr. Kholodov insisted yesterday, contain many inaccuracies, as well as complex and outdated formulations. As an example, he cited the rule banning the use of telephones without hands-free devices. In 2001, when the norm was introduced, phones were used only for calls and SMS; today’s smartphones have much wider functionality. Traffic regulations do not take this into account, Alexander Kholodov pointed out. Or, he continued, take the ban on parking closer than 15 meters from a bus stop marked with zigzag markings: drivers are confused where to count from – from the beginning of the marking or from the sign. Mr. Kholodov also draws attention to the fact that the current rules do not regulate the movement of drones and delivery robots, but they have already appeared on the roads.

Alexander Kholodov proposed launching two parallel processes to adjust the rules within the working group under the OP. The first is the preparation of targeted amendments needed in the near future; the second is work on new traffic regulations with an updated structure, terminology, wording, etc. Basic norms (prohibition of running a red light, oncoming traffic, drunk driving, etc.) will remain, Mr. Kholodov believes, the rest will be the subject of discussion. The current traffic rules, we note, are designed for use until March 1, 2029. This initiative will be included in the report of the OP, which will be sent to the head of state.

“The traffic rules must be dealt with carefully, since they regulate a significant amount of public relations,” the head of the Scientific Center for Road Safety of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Dmitry Mitroshin, outlined the position of the police (it has already been sent to the Cabinet of Ministers). “Any changes, even minor ones, can lead to progress related to traffic safety. The rules must be changed carefully and exclusively in an evolutionary manner.” Mr. Mitroshin assured that the Ministry of Internal Affairs is ready to work with the OP on new amendments and text. As an example of an unsuccessful rule, he cited the rules for driving roundabouts, which have already changed several times and as a result, many drivers are confused.

The police department, according to Kommersant, informed the Cabinet of Ministers about the preparation of targeted changes to the traffic rules to regulate the movement of SIM and unmanned vehicles. The latest amendments will most likely be related to the draft law “On Highly Automated Vehicles”, which is being prepared by the Ministry of Transport (“Kommersant” reported about this). On behalf of the head of state, the government will send the final report to the presidential administration.

The experts invited to the OP generally supported the “evolutionary” approach and made their proposals public. Basic concepts and responsibilities of road users need to be enshrined in federal law, and technical standards in traffic rules, says Evgeniy Litvin, co-chairman of the “Road Safety” working group within the framework of the “regulatory guillotine”. He noted that terms and norms must, on the one hand, be understandable to the average person, and on the other, legally verified. Advisor to the President of the Russian Union of Auto Insurers, Alexander Yakimov, stated the need for an in-depth analysis of all traffic rules, but in the near future it makes sense to identify “pain points and eliminate them.”

Andrei Mukhortikov, head of the department for strategic optimization of road traffic at the Moscow Data Center, proposed to correct the algorithm for registering minor accidents: on highways, oblige drivers to immediately remove cars from the roadway in order to avoid repeated collisions (currently there is no such rule). Lawyer Alexey Pochuev believes that the traffic rules should be expanded to the rules for the movement of “land vehicles,” since problems arise “not only with cars, but also with tractors, snowmobiles, ATVs and even tanks.” The expert, apparently, was referring to a recent incident in Nizhny Tagil, during which a tank, traveling along a special road towards the training ground, rammed a passenger car that ran a red light.

Ivan Buranov