In the Vitebsk region, 50.6 thousand permits for vehicles to participate in road traffic have been issued since the beginning of the year.

If you are still contemplating when to submit your trusty steed for a technical inspection, it is best not to delay but to get it done in a timely manner. There are several arguments in favour of this decision. But first, a bit of statistics.

There are over 500,000 vehicles in the Vitebsk region. The number of cars is growing rapidly. In this positive trend, it is important to have an established order. Chaos is not conducive to progress. In principle, the system for undergoing state technical inspection of vehicles is designed for this very purpose – all for our safety. However, for the past seven years, there has been a steady downward trend in the rate of technical inspections. And now, since the beginning of 2021, diagnostic stations have been packed.

The results of the state technical inspection system in the region over 2.5 months have already exceeded the figures for the first half of 2020: 50.6 thousand permits have been issued, which is a 195% increase compared to the same period last year.

The surge did not arise out of nowhere. The situation has been influenced by legislative novelties that were anticipated and are known to every vehicle owner. Since January 1, the state fee for issuing a permit for a vehicle to participate in road traffic has been abolished. And from March 1, the Code of Administrative Offences and the Procedural-Executive Code of Administrative Offences, as amended by Laws of the Republic of Belarus No. 91-Z and No. 92-Z of 06.01.2021, have come into force. That is, the possibility of holding vehicle owners who have not undergone timely state technical inspection accountable, based on photographic evidence of their participation in road traffic, has been legally enshrined. It is also stipulated that in cases where the owners of vehicles are legal entities or individual entrepreneurs, it is not the drivers but the officials of the organisations who are held liable in the form of a fine of up to 10 base units.

As reported at the meeting of the commission for ensuring road traffic safety under the regional executive committee by Wilhelm Kishkovsky, Head of the Vitebsk region department of UP "Beltekhosmotr", to address the tasks of conducting technical inspections in the northern region, there are 34 diagnostic stations of various ownership forms operating, of which 31 are stationary and 3 are mobile. These stations are equipped with 37 diagnostic lines, 27 of which are universal and can service all categories of vehicles.

The workload at the stations is uneven: while diagnostic stations No. 231 and No. 167 in Vitebsk issued 1500 permits per month, stations in Dubrovno, Beshenkovichi, and Tolochin issued 130-140.

To avoid wasting time for technical inspections, vehicle owners are advised to book appointments in advance on the website gto.by.

– In fact, the organisation of preliminary appointments for any diagnostic station on a unified information portal will allow vehicle owners to independently assess the workload of diagnostic stations and choose the most optimal options, – believes Wilhelm Kishkovsky.

The Chairman of the commission for ensuring road traffic safety under the regional executive committee, Deputy Chairman of the regional executive committee Vladimir Belous emphasized that the work of diagnostic stations should be organised clearly and efficiently, at a time convenient for everyone. All planned activities have one main goal – road safety and a reduction in the number of traffic accidents.

Svetlana DEDINKINA, Vitebsk.

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