The Supreme Court of Russia ruled that a driver does not have the right to leave the scene of a traffic accident, even if the cars did not collide. The decision put an end to the case considered after an accident in Tatarstan.
The accident occurred in December last year. One of the cars skidded, drove off the road and crashed into a road sign. The second driver decided that since there was no collision, he was not a participant in the accident and left the scene.
However, the traffic police drew up a protocol against him for leaving the scene of an accident. The magistrate's court deprived the man of his driver's license for one year, and his appeals to the district and cassation courts were unsuccessful. The driver reached the Supreme Court, but the highest instance left the decisions unchanged.
The court explained that "a driver can be recognized as a participant in an accident, even if his actions did not lead to mechanical contact with another car."
They referred to the position of the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation - any driver whose actions resulted in damage to a vehicle, object or harm to people is considered a participant in an accident.
The video showed that it was the maneuver of the second driver that caused the other car to skid. The Supreme Court emphasized that in such cases, the driver is obliged to stop and register the incident, even if he is sure that he is not personally to blame.
Earlier motoram.ru reported that a Lada dealership closed in St. Petersburg — for the first time in six years.
