15.43. In which place must the driver of the red car stop the vehicle on a road outside populated areas?
UAУ якому місці водій червоного автомобіля повинен зупинити транспортний засіб на дорозі за межами населених пунктів?
This is an exam question from the Traffic Rules of Ukraine about the safe stopping of a vehicle outside populated areas. It checks the understanding of exactly where it is permitted to stop in order not to create danger on high-speed road sections and not to obstruct other road users. For the theoretical exam, it is important to know that the procedure for choosing a stopping place is clearly defined in the traffic rules and has priorities.
The question belongs to Section 15 of the Traffic Rules of Ukraine "Stopping and Parking" (points 15.1–15.3) and essentially tests the main principle: first, specially designated places or the shoulder (p. 15.1), and only in their absence or if stopping there is impossible, is it allowed to stop at the right edge of the carriageway as far to the right as possible (p. 15.2). It is also important here to distinguish the conditions when stopping on the left side can even be considered: the rule in p. 15.3 applies specifically to populated areas and does not grant the right to stop on the left shoulder outside populated areas.
If there is a shoulder and it is suitable for stopping, the option with the right shoulder corresponds to both the logic and the letter of the Traffic Rules. The option with the right edge of the carriageway is only correct as an exception, when there is no shoulder or stopping on it is impossible, so in a typical situation with an available shoulder it is not the best answer. The option "on the right or left shoulder" and the combined option are incorrect, because stopping on the left outside populated areas is not provided as a general rule: for this, you need to change the direction of travel in a legal and safe way and only after that stop on the right according to the direction of travel.
Clause 15.1
Stopping and parking of vehicles on the road must be carried out in specially designated places or on the shoulder.
Explanation of application: if a shoulder is present and stopping on it is possible, the driver must stop exactly on the shoulder (and not on the carriageway).
Clause 15.2
If there are no specially designated places or a shoulder, or if stopping or parking there is impossible, they are allowed near the right edge of the carriageway (as far to the right as possible, so as not to interfere with other road users).
Explanation of application: this clause allows stopping near the right edge of the carriageway only as an exception—when there is no shoulder (or stopping on it is impossible). In the situation of the question, a shoulder is present, so priority is given to stopping on it.
Clause 15.3
In populated areas, stopping and parking of vehicles are allowed on the left side of the road, which has one lane in each direction (without tram tracks in the middle) and is not divided by marking 1.1, as well as on the left side of a one-way road. If the road has a boulevard or a dividing strip, stopping and parking of vehicles near them are prohibited.
Explanation of application: the possibility of stopping/parking on the left is directly limited by the condition “in populated areas.” Therefore, outside populated areas, this rule does not grant the right to stop on the left shoulder.
Clause 1.10 (term "Shoulder")
Shoulder — an element of the road that adjoins the carriageway directly at the same level, which is not intended for the movement of vehicles, except in cases provided for by these Rules, and is used for the movement of pedestrians, cyclists, horse-drawn vehicles, as well as for stopping and parking vehicles.
Clause 1.10 (term "Carriageway")
Carriageway — an element of the road intended for the movement of non-rail vehicles.
Thus, the correct answer is "Only on the right shoulder," given that according to the definition of the Traffic Rules, stopping must be carried out in specially designated places or on the shoulder (clause 15.1), switching to stopping near the right edge of the carriageway is allowed only in the absence/impossibility of stopping on the shoulder (clause 15.2), and permission to stop on the left side of the road applies only to populated areas (clause 15.3).
Outside populated areas, the driver must choose a stopping place so as not to create danger or obstruct the movement of other vehicles. That is why the Rules establish a clear order of priority for where stopping is allowed first.
According to the content of clause 15.2 of the Traffic Rules, if there is a shoulder on the road, the stop should be made on it. Only when there is no shoulder or it is impossible to stop on it, is it allowed to stop near the right edge of the carriageway, as far to the right as possible. In our situation, there is a shoulder on the right, so there is no reason to stop on the carriageway.
It should be separately understood that the possibility of stopping on the left side of the road, as mentioned in clause 15.3 of the Traffic Rules, applies specifically to populated areas and only under certain conditions. Since the question directly states that the road is outside a populated area, these exceptions do not apply here. Therefore, stopping on the left shoulder in such a situation is incorrect.
Thus, the correct answer is "Only on the right shoulder," because outside populated areas, if there is a shoulder, the stop must be made on it, and stopping on the left is allowed only as an exception within populated areas and does not apply in this case.