24.14. Is it permitted for persons learning to drive not to wear seat belts while driving in a populated area?
UAЧи дозволено особам, які навчаються водінню, не пристібатись під час руху в населеному пункті?
This exam question from the Traffic Rules of Ukraine concerns passive safety and the driver's responsibilities while driving. Seat belts are among the basic means of protection in the event of an accident or sudden braking, and risks exist not only on highways but also within city limits. Therefore, the traffic rules do not consider a 'training drive' as grounds to ignore safety requirements.
The question tests knowledge of the sections of the Traffic Rules regarding driver responsibilities and training driving, specifically paragraphs 24.3 and 2.3 [v]. According to paragraph 24.3, a person learning to drive a vehicle is required to know and comply with the Rules. Paragraph 2.3 [v] directly obliges the use of seat belts in cars where they are provided, and prohibits transporting unbelted passengers. There are no exceptions for the learner-driver or instructor in this provision, so the obligation applies both within and outside populated areas.
The analysis of answer options in the theoretical exam format is straightforward: the statement that during training in the city one can drive unbelted contradicts the general responsibilities of the driver and the requirements regarding seat belts. In contrast, the option about prohibition complies with the Traffic Rules, because the 'learner status' does not cancel any safety regulations while driving. In practice, this knowledge helps avoid common mistakes on the exam and forms the correct habit, which truly reduces injuries in road situations.
Clause 2.3 [v]
To ensure road safety, the driver is required: in vehicles equipped with passive safety devices (headrests, seat belts), to use them and not to carry passengers who are not wearing seat belts.
Explanation of application: during training driving, the person learning to drive is, in fact, acting as the driver (operating the vehicle), therefore they are required to use the seat belt regardless of whether the driving takes place within a populated area or outside it (unless specific exceptions are provided by the Rules).
Clause 24.3
The person learning to drive a vehicle is required to know and comply with the requirements of the Traffic Rules.
Explanation of application: this directly extends all general driver obligations to the learner-driver, including the requirement in clause 2.3 [v] regarding the use of seat belts.
Therefore, the correct answer is "Prohibited.", given that according to the definition of the Traffic Rules, a person learning to drive is required to comply with the Rules, and a driver in a vehicle equipped with seat belts is required to use them while driving.
During driver training, you are a participant in road traffic just like any other driver. Therefore, all general requirements of the Rules apply to you, regardless of whether you are driving within a populated area or outside it.
Clause 24.3 establishes that a person learning to drive a vehicle is required to know and comply with the requirements of the Traffic Rules. This means that “learner” status does not grant the right to ignore safety regulations that apply to drivers while driving.
Separately, clause 2.3 (c) requires the driver to use passive safety devices, in particular seat belts, if the vehicle is equipped with them. The driver also has no right to transport passengers who are not buckled up when seat belts are provided for them. There is no exception in this rule for the learner-driver or the instructor, so the requirement to buckle up also applies during training drives.
In practice, this means: even if you are driving slowly through city streets, the seat belt remains mandatory, because an accident or sudden braking can happen anywhere, and the rules do not make exceptions “within populated areas” specifically for learners.
Therefore, the correct answer is "Prohibited," since the learner-driver is required to comply with the Traffic Rules, and the seat belt is mandatory in a vehicle equipped with it, with no exceptions for training or driving within a populated area.