On February 28, the Unified Day of Road Safety will take place in the Republic of Belarus.

On February 28, a Unified Day of Road Safety will be held in the Republic of Belarus under the slogan "You cannot hide from your conscience!", aimed at preventing incidents where participants leave the scene of the accident.

The traffic rules clearly define the specific actions a driver must take after an accident. The vehicle must be stopped. It, as well as other items related to the accident, must not be moved or removed. It is necessary to turn on the hazard lights and place a warning triangle (a lamp with a flashing red light) at least 15 meters from the vehicle in populated areas and 40 meters outside populated areas, while remaining at the scene of the accident, if possible, off the roadway.

If there are injured persons, all measures must be taken to provide them with the necessary assistance. An ambulance should be called, and the incident must be reported to the police.

For individuals who flee the scene of the accident, both administrative and criminal liability may apply.

The Code of the Republic of Belarus on Administrative Offenses provides for a fine of 5 to 25 basic units or deprivation of the right to engage in certain activities for up to 2 years for leaving the scene of an accident in which the driver is a participant, in cases where this is prohibited by legislative acts (if the victim has sustained minor bodily injuries or if damage has occurred to vehicles or other property).

If the driver deliberately leaves the victim in a life-threatening or health-threatening condition, he will face criminal liability. The penalty for such an act is arrest, restriction, or imprisonment for up to three years with a fine.

The traffic rules also provide for exceptions when it is permissible to leave the scene of an accident.

Thus, if there are injured persons as a result of the traffic accident, and it is impossible to provide them with the necessary assistance, or there is no possibility to call an ambulance or send them to the nearest hospital, the driver may leave the scene of the accident to save the life and health of the victim, having previously recorded the position of his vehicle, traces, and items related to the traffic accident in the presence of witnesses. And it is mandatory to report the incident to the traffic police.

If only two vehicles were involved in the accident and no one from the road users was injured, the drivers have the legal right to resolve the incident by filling out an insurance notification or the so-called European protocol.

At the same time, according to paragraph 31.4 of the traffic rules, the following conditions must be simultaneously met:

• as a result of the incident, damage was caused only to the vehicles involved in the accident;
• the accident occurred with the participation of two vehicles, including in the case of stopping and parking one of them;
• the persons driving the vehicles have a valid right to operate the vehicle of the corresponding category;
• there are valid contracts for mandatory insurance of civil liability of their owners in relation to the vehicles;
• the drivers have independently established the culprit of the accident and have a unified position regarding the causes and circumstances of the incident;
• the drivers of the vehicles involved in the accident do not have claims against each other's condition (none of them is in a state of intoxication);
• the damage caused to each vehicle involved in the accident is assessed by the drivers at up to 800 euros.

If at least one of the above conditions is not met, it is necessary to call the traffic police officers.

Be as attentive as possible when driving any type of vehicle. Follow the traffic rules. Take care of yourself and other road users.

Traffic Police Department of the Orsha District Executive Committee.