On Tuesday, people's deputies supported draft law No. 4246, which introduces amendments to Article 41 of the Law of Ukraine "On Road Traffic." The document concerns establishing priority for vehicles moving in a circle. 242 parliamentarians voted for the adoption of the document in the first reading, and 234 supported it overall.
According to the proposed changes, a new rule is introduced into legislation: at roundabouts, priority is given to vehicles already on the circle.
As noted in the explanatory note, due to the difficult socio-economic situation in the country, road markings and signs are often absent. At the same time, each city has its own rules for passing roundabouts, which provokes an increase in the number of accidents in such areas. In this regard, there is a need in society for uniform norms that would streamline the passage of roundabouts.
The explanatory note also provides a historical reference: one of the first rings created according to the Roundabout scheme appeared in 1907 in the Californian city of San Jose. The author of the project was architect John McLaren, and the ring was used both for cars and trams. In European countries, a unified Roundabout scheme is used at such intersections. Official statistics, according to the note, show that the introduction of this scheme each time reduced the accident rate at intersections by about 80%.
