From February 16 to February 26, the State Automobile Inspectorate is conducting additional preventive measures, as well as raids on passenger carriers in regular and irregular minibus services.
From February 16 to February 26, the State Automobile Inspectorate is conducting additional preventive measures, as well as raids on passenger carriers in regular and irregular minibus services.
Please note that during this period, traffic police officers will daily carry out effective control over compliance by minibus drivers with the Traffic Rules and other traffic legislation, including mixed control of specific transportation. Transport inspection officers will also join these activities.
– The main violations among drivers of route vehicles include: carrying passengers exceeding the number of designated seats, dropping off (picking up) passengers outside designated stops, exceeding the speed limit, non-compliance with road signs and markings, and deviation from the established route.
There have been accidents involving route vehicles where people were injured. On the afternoon of February 7, a 31-year-old driver of a "Bykhov-Mogilev" regular route taxi was driving on the M-4 "Minsk-Mogilev" highway. Near the village of Vasilevshchina, the man failed to account for adverse weather conditions, chose an unsafe speed, lost control due to inattention, and collided with a metal median barrier. As a result of the accident, 8 people sustained multiple injuries of varying severity.
Two of the injured were taken to the Borisov Central District Hospital.
According to preliminary information, the minibus driver was distracted by his mobile phone while driving. Passengers made remarks to him and even recorded this on their mobile phones a few seconds before the accident.
The 31-year-old man has previously been held administratively liable at least 10 times by the traffic police, including for violations related to passenger transportation. And in October last year, while driving a minibus, he was the cause of a road accident.
The State Automobile Inspectorate strongly recommends that drivers strictly adhere to traffic regulations, select a safe speed, and board and alight from route vehicles only at designated locations, at marked bus stops. In turn, passengers must not, under any circumstances, demand that the driver stop the route vehicle at an unauthorized location.