23.3. Are passengers allowed to be in a towed passenger car when towing with a rigid or flexible towbar?
UAЧи можуть перебувати пасажири в буксируваному легковому автомобілі в разі буксирування на жорсткому або гнучкому зчепленні?
Question without image
This exam question from the Traffic Rules of Ukraine tests knowledge of safety regulations during towing, when risks for passengers increase due to limited maneuverability, braking, and visibility. Understanding these requirements is important for the theoretical exam, as improper placement of people during towing can create danger both for the participants in the towing process and for other drivers.
The question belongs to the section of the Traffic Rules concerning towing, specifically to clause 23.9 of the Traffic Rules of Ukraine. This clause establishes a general prohibition on transporting passengers in a towed vehicle during towing with a rigid or flexible coupling, but makes a clear exception for passenger cars. That is, a passenger car is the only type of towed vehicle in which, under these conditions, the presence of passengers is permitted.
If you choose the option that passengers cannot be in the towed vehicle, it will only be correct for most other vehicles (for example, a bus or a truck), but does not correspond to the exception explicitly stated in the traffic rules. Instead, the statement about the possibility of passengers being in a towed passenger car is consistent with the provision of clause 23.9, which makes it correct within the context of this exam question.
Clause 23.9
During towing with a rigid or flexible coupling, it is prohibited to carry passengers in the towed vehicle (except for a passenger car) and in the body of the towing truck, and in the case of towing by partial loading of this vehicle onto a platform or special supporting device — in all vehicles (except for the cab of the towing vehicle).
Brief application: the prohibition on carrying passengers in the towed vehicle during towing with a rigid/flexible coupling has an exception — it is allowed only for a towed passenger car.
That is, the correct answer is "They may.", given that according to the definition in Clause 23.9 of the Traffic Rules, the presence of passengers in the towed vehicle is expressly permitted if it is a passenger car (an exception to the general prohibition).
When towing, it is important to understand where passengers are allowed to be and where it is expressly prohibited by the rules. This question concerns the towing of a passenger car with a rigid or flexible coupling.
Clause 23.9 of the Traffic Rules of Ukraine establishes a general rule: passengers are not allowed to be transported in a towed vehicle. However, there is a clearly defined exception to this rule — the passenger car. That is, the prohibition applies to all towed vehicles except for passenger cars.
For example, if a bus or a truck is being towed with a cable or a rigid hitch, there should be no passengers in that vehicle. But if it is specifically a passenger car being towed, passengers are allowed to be inside, because the rules specifically highlight it as an exception.
Therefore, the correct answer is "They may.", since clause 23.9 of the Traffic Rules prohibits passengers in a towed vehicle, but makes an exception for a towed passenger car when being towed with a rigid or flexible coupling.