Group 2 · Traffic Safety Law: key terms, driver duties and licenses

What this topic covers on the exam

2 of the 20 knowledge-test questions are on the Law "On Ensuring Road Traffic Safety" (RA Government Decision No. 385-N of March 26, 2020, Annex 1, point 17). Some "basic terms" questions use point 3 of the Rules of the Road (Rules). This summary follows the Law as in force since August 30, 2026 ("Law" below).

Terms where one word decides the answer

From Article 2 of the Law:

• Roadway: the part of the road for non-rail vehicles. Lane: a strip of the roadway, marked or unmarked, wide enough for one row of vehicles. A road also includes tram tracks, sidewalks, shoulders and median strips where they exist.
• Intersection: the area where roads cross, join or branch at the same level. An exit from an adjacent area is not an intersection. Adjacent areas are places next to the road not meant for through traffic: yards, parking lots, fuel stations.
• Stopping: a deliberate standstill of up to 5 minutes, or for as long as needed to pick up or drop off passengers or to load or unload. Parking: a standstill of over 5 minutes for other reasons. Stopping rules don't apply to a forced stop (a fault, a hazard, a prohibiting signal, giving way and similar).
• Poor visibility: visibility of up to 300 m in fog, rain, snowfall or other bad weather. Dark time of day: from the end of evening twilight to the start of morning twilight.
• Driver: the person driving; a driving instructor and a person herding animals along a road also count as drivers. Passenger: anyone in or on a vehicle, including while getting in or out, except the driver and the instructor.
• Pedestrian: a person on the road outside a vehicle, except an authorized person doing road work. People wheeling a bicycle, moped or motorcycle, pushing a pram or cart, or in a non-motorized wheelchair also count as pedestrians.
• Public transport vehicle: a tram, trolleybus or bus carrying passengers on a route with stops.
• Bus: more than 8 passenger seats. Passenger car: no more than 8. Moped: an engine of up to 50 cm³ (or an electric motor over 0.25 kW and under 4 kW) and a maximum design speed of no more than 50 km/h.
• Give way: don't continue or resume moving and don't maneuver if that could force other drivers to change direction or speed unexpectedly.

From point 3 of the Rules: overtaking means moving ahead of moving vehicles by leaving your lane (3(11)); passing within the lane means doing it without leaving the lane (3(14)); an obstacle is a stationary object in a lane that keeps you from continuing in that lane (3(12)).

Driver duties (Law, Article 24)

• Before setting off, check that the vehicle has passed technical inspection and isn't illegally modified. Before and during a trip, check the brakes, steering, headlights and rear position lights (in the dark or poor visibility), the driver's-side wiper (in rain or snow), the coupling (road trains) and tread depth (part 2(a)).
• Provide your vehicle to police officers to take people needing urgent medical help to a medical facility, and, if you agree, to medical workers heading your way (part 2(c)).
• Carry your driver's license for that category and the vehicle registration documents, or their digital versions (part 5(a)).
• Wear a seat belt and don't carry unbelted passengers (exceptions include the instructor while a learner drives); wear a fastened helmet on a motorcycle, and on a moped or bicycle on the roadway (part 5(b)–(c)).
• Prohibited: driving while not sober; handing over the wheel to someone not sober or without a license for that category; opening doors while moving; using a phone without a hands-free device, or smoking, while moving; drinking alcohol after an accident before the sobriety check (part 7).

After an accident, stop, don't move the vehicle, switch on the hazard lights, place the "Emergency stop" sign and leave related objects where they are (part 2(d)). If people were killed or injured, take steps to give first aid, call an ambulance, report to the police and wait for them; in extreme cases, send a victim with a passing vehicle or take them to the nearest medical facility yourself and come back (part 4). Under part 4.1 as worded since August 30, 2026, if only property is damaged and the drivers don't disagree, they needn't report to the police: they can fill in the agreed accident report (if the accident meets its conditions) and clear the scene within 15 minutes, or file nothing if only their own property is damaged and nobody has claims. Otherwise, the driver must report to the police.

Licenses: categories, ages and periods

What	Rule	Law
AM	from age 16	Art. 27, part 3
A, B, C, A1, B1, C1	from 18	Art. 27, part 3
BE, CE, DE, C1E, D1E	from 19, holding a B, C, D, C1 or D1 license	Art. 27, part 3
D, D1	from 21 (19 if conscripted), holding a B, C or C1 license	Art. 27, part 3
International license	A, B from 18; C, D from 21	Art. 27, part 7
Validity	national 10 years; international up to 3 years	Art. 27, part 8
Learner / candidate	at least 16 / from 17 (AM: 16)	Art. 28, parts 1.1, 4
Registering a bought vehicle	within 15 days of signing the deal	Art. 13, part 2

• Category B covers cars with a maximum permissible mass of up to 3,500 kg or no more than 8 seats besides the driver's, including with a trailer of up to 750 kg. A heavier trailer is still B if its maximum permissible mass doesn't exceed the car's unladen mass and the combination is no more than 3,500 kg; otherwise it's BE (Art. 27, part 1).
• Initial practical training takes place at an autodrome or training ground, or, failing that, in a closed area away from traffic (Art. 28, part 7). The instructor is liable for the learner's violations (Art. 28, part 9).

Typical exam traps

• Picking up passengers or unloading is stopping, even if it takes over 5 minutes (Law, Article 2).
• A taxi is not listed in the definition of a public transport vehicle (Law, Article 2).
• A road worker is not a pedestrian; a person wheeling a bicycle is (Law, Article 2).
• The instructor is treated as a driver, and the learner at the wheel must wear a seat belt (Law, Articles 2 and 24).
• The right to drive starts on receiving the license or its digital version, not on passing the exam (Law, Article 27, part 6).

Quick checklist

• 5 minutes: stopping vs parking. 300 m: poor visibility. 8 seats: car vs bus. 50 cm³ and 50 km/h: moped.
• 10 years national, up to 3 international; 15 days to register; 750 kg trailer.