1.59. Are persons moving in wheelchairs road users?
UAОсоби, які рухаються у кріслах колісних, є учасниками дорожнього руху?
This exam question from the Traffic Rules of Ukraine concerns road safety and the correct determination of the status of different persons on the road. Understanding exactly who is considered a road user is important for everyone: drivers, pedestrians, and those who move with assistive devices, since this determines their rights, responsibilities, and the rules for interaction on sidewalks, roadsides, and the carriageway.
The question tests knowledge of the section General Provisions and Terms of the traffic rules, specifically clause 1.10 (definitions of “road user” and “pedestrian”). The definition of “road user” explicitly states that it also includes a person moving in a wheelchair. Additionally, the term “pedestrian” clarifies: persons moving in wheelchairs without an engine are equated to pedestrians and therefore are directly subject to the rules governing pedestrian behavior on the road.
If you choose the option “yes,” this corresponds to the current traffic rules: the rules not only recognize such persons as road users but also establish the order of their movement (mainly on the sidewalk, if necessary on the roadside, or under certain conditions, on the carriageway). The option “no” is incorrect, as it contradicts the official term from clause 1.10, which in the new edition explicitly includes persons in wheelchairs among the road users, a point often checked in the theoretical exam.
Clause 1.10 (term "Road user")
Road user — a person who directly participates in the process of movement on the road as a pedestrian, driver, passenger, animal driver, cyclist, as well as a person moving in a wheelchair.
This term directly classifies persons moving in wheelchairs as road users.
Clause 1.10 (term "Pedestrian")
Pedestrian — a person who participates in road traffic outside of vehicles and does not perform any work on the road. Persons moving in wheelchairs without an engine, pushing a bicycle, moped, motorcycle, pulling a sled, cart, baby carriage, or wheelchair are also considered pedestrians.
This clarifies that (at least) persons in a wheelchair without an engine are considered pedestrians, and therefore are road users.
Therefore, the correct answer is "Yes.", given that according to the definition in the Traffic Rules, a "road user" also includes a person moving in a wheelchair (and a wheelchair without an engine is additionally considered a pedestrian).
When the test asks whether a person in a wheelchair is a participant in road traffic, it refers to a simple rule: a road user is anyone who directly takes part in movement on the road. The definition from clause 1.10 of the Traffic Rules explicitly states that road users include not only drivers, passengers, or pedestrians, but also a person moving in a wheelchair.
This is further confirmed by the term "pedestrian" in clause 1.10: persons moving in a wheelchair without an engine are equated to pedestrians. That is, from the perspective of the rules, such a person has the status of a pedestrian and therefore automatically belongs to the group of road users.
In practice, this means that a person in a wheelchair may move along the sidewalk, and under certain conditions — along the roadside or even the carriageway, but in that case must comply with the requirements applicable to pedestrians: choose a safe trajectory, not create danger for others, and on the carriageway — move as far to the right as possible in a single file. The very fact that the rules allow and regulate such movement is an indication that this is a full-fledged road user.
Therefore, the correct answer is "Yes," since the Traffic Rules in clause 1.10 directly include persons moving in a wheelchair among road users (and in many cases equate them to pedestrians).