Special signal: what is it?
We are talking about a combination of light and sound signals that notify other road users of the approach of special equipment. Police, ambulance, and fire department vehicles are equipped with such devices. Each of these vehicles has red and blue lamps of a special design on the roof.
You can also see cars on the road equipped with yellow special signals. These beacons are allowed to be used only on equipment that has been assigned a special legal status. These types of transport are intended for performing road work and transporting hazardous substances. Yellow lights attract the attention of other drivers, warning them of danger.
Another category of vehicles equipped with special signals are cars of law enforcement agencies and government employees. In addition to beacons on the roof, such cars are distinguished by special license plates painted in dark colors.
Who should you skip?
Special vehicles can use beacons and special color schemes to obtain special rights on the road, only in those moments that are reflected in the traffic rules. At the same time, citizens undertake to comply with the general requirements of the by-law.
The use of special signals is permitted:
- Traffic police - red and blue signals;
- Police, FSB, investigative committee, military police, ambulance, fire service - blue signal;
- Cars of civil servants at the highest echelons of power - blue flashing signal;
Also on the roads you can find vehicles transporting large or dangerous cargo, those responsible for repairing road routes, and towing cars - yellow or orange beacons. These cars do not enjoy any advantage.
It is worth noting that not all cars with special signs have advantages on the road. Motorists must clear the lane for vehicles with special signs, but this must be done in accordance with traffic rules. If clearing the road will disrupt the movement of other vehicles, then you cannot yield.
In the case where special transport continues to insist on clearing the roadway, you can calmly defend your position by proving that this was impossible to do.
Special rights to travel with the right of priority are granted to:
- Police;
- traffic police;
- Government vehicles;
- Ambulance;
- Fire service.
Other categories of funds are not included in this list, therefore, they do not need to clear the road.
What happens if you don’t give way to special vehicles
If a special vehicle is moving with special signals turned on, the driver is obliged to let it pass in the following cases:
- special transport makes a turn;
- a car with beacons moves into the lane in which another car is moving;
- when passing an intersection.
If a motorist does not allow special transport to pass, he may be subject to administrative liability. Article 12.17 of the Code of Administrative Offenses provides for the following types of fines:
- The driver did not give way to the government employee's car. Such cars are equipped only with light signals. They don't have a siren. If such a car is driving with its beacons turned on, it has priority in traffic. If you fail to pass it, the driver will receive a fine of 300 rubles.
- The motorist did not give way to vehicles with special signals that were moving with their beacons on. The fine will be 500 rubles.
The traffic police officer has the right to limit himself to a warning without issuing a fine to the violator.
However, this is rare. If the driver believes that he was fined unlawfully, he has the right to challenge the inspector’s decision. To do this, you can write a complaint addressed to a higher official or initiate legal proceedings.
Can my rights be revoked?
If the driver does not give way to special vehicles, he may be deprived of his license for up to three months. This is possible if a traffic police officer witnessed the violation. Therefore, most often, those drivers who do not give priority on the road to the vehicles of the traffic police and other law enforcement agencies are deprived of their rights.
A motorist may be prohibited from driving a vehicle if he not only did not allow special transport to pass, but also violated traffic rules. For example, he hit a neighboring car, overtook, etc.
A motorist can be held accountable only if the special vehicle was driving with its lights on. If the beacons were turned off, then there can be no question of any provision of priority. Accordingly, such a fine can be easily appealed if there is video from the recorder or testimony of witnesses.
Increase in the fine for failure to pass a car with flashing lights from August 6, 2021
Partner news / Traffic violations / For the driver
From August 6, 2019, changes are being made to Chapter 12 of the Code of the Russian Federation “On Administrative Offences”.
The essence of the changes is that the penalties for drivers who do not give way to a car with special light and sound signals on are significantly increased.
In addition, starting from August 6, 2021, changes that may relate to the refusal of passage of special vehicles are being made to the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.
New fine for not allowing cars with special signals to pass
The amendment was made to Part 2 of Article 12.17 of the Administrative Code:
2. Failure to provide priority in traffic to a vehicle that has special color schemes, inscriptions and designations applied to the outer surfaces, with a blue flashing light and a special sound signal turned on at the same time - entails the imposition of an administrative fine in the amount of three thousand to five thousand rubles or deprivation of the right driving vehicles for a period of three months to one year.
A driver who does not allow a special vehicle with special lights (flashing lights) and sound signals on may be subject to one of the following penalties: a fine;
deprivation of rights.
From August 6, 2021, both fines and terms of imprisonment have been increased:
Thus, the maximum fine has increased 10 times, and the maximum term of imprisonment has increased 4 times.
note
, in this article we are talking only about cars with special color schemes, that is, those painted in the colors of the relevant department (police, ambulance, fire department, etc.). If a blue flashing light is installed on a civilian car, then the driver faces a fine under Part 1 of Article 12.17 - a warning or 500 rubles.
Punishment for not allowing an ambulance to pass
Another innovation is that a new article 124 (1) has been added to the Criminal Code:
Article 124(1). Obstruction of medical care
1. Obstruction in any form of the legal activity of a medical worker in providing medical care, if this has negligently caused grave harm to the health of the patient, -
shall be punishable by a fine in the amount of up to eighty thousand rubles, or in the amount of the wages or other income of the convicted person for a period of up to six months, or by restriction of freedom for a term of up to three years, or by forced labor for a term of up to two years, or by arrest for a term of up to six months, or imprisonment for a term of up to two years.
2. The same act, if it caused the death of a patient through negligence, -
shall be punishable by restriction of liberty for a term of up to four years, or forced labor for a term of up to four years, or imprisonment for a term of up to four years.
At first glance, it is not clear what section 124(1) has to do with drivers of vehicles. However, if you study the text more carefully, it becomes clear that a driver who did not allow an ambulance to pass may also be punished under this article.
At the same time, criminal punishment awaits the driver only if, through his fault, the patient was not provided with medical assistance on time, as a result of which serious harm was caused to health or the patient died.
So, if the patient has suffered serious harm to health, then for not allowing an ambulance to pass, the driver faces one of the following penalties:
a fine of up to 80,000 rubles or in the amount of income for a period of up to 6 months; restriction of freedom for up to 3 years; forced labor for up to 2 years; arrest up to 6 months; imprisonment for up to 2 years.
If the patient died, then the punishment is selected from the following list:
restriction of freedom for up to 4 years; forced labor for up to 4 years; imprisonment for up to 4 years.
The penalties are approximately the same as for causing harm to health as a result of an accident.
Note.
If the driver did not let the ambulance pass and as a result the patient suffered minor or moderate harm to health, then the driver will face punishment under Article 12.17 of the Code of Administrative Offenses discussed above.
How to act as a driver when giving way to special vehicles
What should a motorist do when a special vehicle approaches? The answer to this question is given in the traffic rules. Let's take a closer look at the driver's actions:
- The driver is standing. In this case, you should not move until the vehicle with the beacon on has passed.
- The driver is in motion. You should stop and let special vehicles pass. Then you can continue moving.
- Special transport approaches from behind. You need to change lanes. The maneuver is carried out taking into account traffic regulations. In this case, there should be no interference with other road users.
When passing special vehicles, the driver must comply with the speed limit and not perform dangerous maneuvers.
When is it necessary to skip?
Services that equip their vehicles with special signals include:
- fire protection;
- ambulance;
- traffic police;
- police;
- government structures at various levels.
In addition, a vehicle of a road repair organization or a vehicle transporting dangerous cargo can be equipped with a flashing light.
In general, road users who see a car with a special signal from behind must give way to it, changing lanes to the right if possible. Of course, if the situation on the road does not allow for a quick lane change, you should not try to let a car with a flashing light pass by any means, thereby creating an emergency situation: you must wait for a favorable moment and make the necessary maneuver. If the driver has not yet started driving, you should wait until a car with a special signal passes, and only then move off. If it is possible to stop for a while while a car with a flashing light passes, you should do just that.
What is the punishment for violation
In large cities, inspectors patrol roads and specifically identify violators who do not allow fire or ambulance vehicles to pass. If such a fact is revealed, the driver faces a financial sanction, as well as other types of punishment depending on the violation committed.
Let's find out for what action the driver will be fined:
- if the driver did not let the special equipment pass through the intersection;
- a special car was rebuilt in one row with ordinary transport;
- the special vehicle attempted to turn around.
If the driver of a personal car has committed at least one of these violations, he will be given a fine of 500 rubles.
In the absence of signal lights or sounds, the requirement of special vehicles to give way can be ignored; in this case, they are ordinary road users.
In addition, a driver who decides to let or not allow special transport to pass must remember that the main thing in this matter is knowledge of the traffic rules and compliance with them. This simple rule will help you avoid various troubles.
So, in addition to financial sanctions, in the presence of certain circumstances, the violator may be held accountable for the following actions:
- if the motorist did not give the car the right of way, and this factor had negative consequences. For example, a seriously ill patient was transported by ambulance, but he later died because he could not be transported to his destination in a timely manner. In this case, the citizen faces deprivation of the right to drive a car for at least three months;
- Also, the driver’s license will also be lost to the car owner who was stopped by the traffic inspector for not allowing special equipment to pass;
- a driver who misses a special vehicle with flashing lights on, but provokes an emergency with his maneuver (driving into the oncoming lane, crossing a double line, risky overtaking, etc.), faces deprivation of his driving license and additional monetary sanctions;
- a motorist who fails to pass a car with special signals and is driving while intoxicated (alcohol or drugs) will be deprived of his driving license for 1-3 years.
For driving while intoxicated, the driver faces not only the deprivation of his driver's license, but also a significant fine of 30,000 rubles.
When you are threatened with deprivation of your license if you do not let an ambulance, firefighters or police pass through
This issue is fully regulated by the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation in terms of punishment terms, but the right to choose - a fine or deprivation of rights for not allowing an ambulance or police to pass through is assigned to the judge. Often, instead of presenting a fine, they are deprived of their rights for 3 months.
Your driver's license may be revoked if:
- the motorist did not give way to a special vehicle, the signal of which was turned on, as well as sound signals were given to him, which clearly indicated that the vehicle was moving to an urgent call;
- The traffic police inspector recorded an offense or the driver’s guilt was confirmed by a video recorder from a special vehicle.
Additional grounds for deprivation of a driver's license under Part 2 of Art. 12.7 Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation may be:
- Repeated traffic violations that occurred within the last year, which will be considered an aggravating circumstance;
- The driver does not admit his guilt.
