15.13. Is the driver of the white car allowed to stop for passenger boarding at this location?
UAЧи дозволено водієві білого автомобіля зупинитися для посадки пасажира в цьому місці?
This exam question from the Traffic Rules of Ukraine tests knowledge of the rules for safe stopping in high-risk areas. Stopping even “for a minute” can sharply reduce the capacity of the section, block visibility, and create danger for other road users, especially when the road passes over or under another carriageway. That is why the traffic rules specifically highlight bridge-type engineering structures as zones where any non-emergency stops are undesirable.
The question belongs to Section 15 of the Traffic Rules of Ukraine, “Stopping and Parking,” and focuses on item 15.9 (subitem v), which directly prohibits stopping on overpasses, bridges, flyovers, and under them, as well as in tunnels. On such structures, passenger boarding is not considered a “special case,” because according to the definitions in the Traffic Rules (item 1.10), it is still a stop: cessation of movement for up to 5 minutes or more, including for boarding or alighting.
If we analyze the answer options, the correct one is the one indicating prohibition: the rule applies regardless of the purpose, so “short duration” does not make the action permissible. The option about 5 minutes is misleading, because 5 minutes only describes what is considered a stop, but does not cancel the prohibitions in the listed places. And the statement that stopping is always allowed contradicts the direct provision of item 15.9 (c) and does not take into account that such situations are often included in the theoretical exam, where it is necessary to distinguish between “allowed” and “forced”: in reality, stopping here is only permissible in the case of a forced stop, not for ordinary passenger boarding.
Clause 15.9 (subclause "v") — 15 "Stopping and Parking"
Stopping is prohibited: c) on overpasses, bridges, flyovers and under them, as well as in tunnels.
Clause 1.10 (term "Stopping")
Stopping — the cessation of movement of a vehicle for up to 5 minutes or longer if necessary for boarding (alighting) passengers or loading (unloading) cargo, fulfilling the requirements of these Rules, signals of the traffic controller, traffic lights, road signs, road markings, or to ensure road safety.
Clause 1.10 (term "Forced stop")
Forced stop — the cessation of movement of a vehicle due to its technical malfunction or danger caused by the cargo, the condition of the driver (passenger), the appearance of an obstacle on the road that the driver cannot remove, or other circumstances beyond the driver's control.
Clause 1.10 (term "Overpass")
Overpass — an engineering structure for the movement of vehicles and/or pedestrians, raising one road above another at their intersection, as well as for creating a road at a certain height, which does not have exits to another road.
Clause 1.10 (term "Bridge")
Bridge — a structure intended for movement across a river, ravine, and other obstacles, the boundaries of which are the beginning and end of the span structures.
Clause 1.10 (term "Flyover")
Flyover — an engineering structure of the bridge type above another road (railway) at their intersection, which provides movement at different levels and allows for an exit to another road.
That is, the correct answer is "Prohibited.", given that passenger boarding is considered a "stop" according to the definition in the Traffic Rules, and stopping on overpasses/bridges/flyovers (and under them) is directly prohibited by clause 15.9 (c) of the Traffic Rules of Ukraine.
In this situation, the driver of the white car wants to stop only for a short time to pick up a passenger. According to the definition in the Traffic Rules, this is still considered a stop, since the vehicle ceases movement for the time necessary to pick up the passenger.
The image shows that the car is located on an engineering structure of the bridge type: the road passes over another road. This corresponds to an overpass (or viaduct), that is, a section where the roadway is elevated above another traffic flow.
Clause 15.9 (c) of the Traffic Rules of Ukraine directly prohibits stopping on viaducts, bridges, overpasses, and under them, as well as in tunnels. Therefore, the intention to "stop for a minute" to pick up a passenger is not an exception and does not make such a stop permitted. The only typical reason for stopping in such a place can only be a forced stop (for example, a breakdown or danger), but the question is specifically about picking up a passenger.
Therefore, the correct answer is "Prohibited," since stopping on an overpass (viaduct) is prohibited by clause 15.9 (c) of the Traffic Rules regardless of the purpose, including for picking up a passenger.