39.5. Which of the drivers involved in a road traffic accident fills in the section 'Vehicle A' when completing the joint notification of a road traffic accident (European Accident Statement)?
UAХто з водіїв, учасників ДТП, заповнює пункт «Транспортний засіб А» при оформленні спільного повідомлення про дорожньо-транспортну пригоду (Європротоколу)?)
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This exam question from the Traffic Rules of Ukraine concerns the proper procedure for documenting a road traffic accident without calling the police, specifically the completion of the joint accident notification (the European Accident Statement). This topic is important for road safety and legal protection of drivers, as the correct entry of data determines the subsequent settlement of the insurance claim and helps avoid unnecessary disputes between participants.
The question tests knowledge of the section of the traffic rules regarding the driver's duties in the event of an accident, particularly the requirements of point 2.10 concerning the possibility of jointly completing the European Accident Statement, as well as the understanding that this is a joint document for both drivers. The form has two designated sections for entering information about the participants, and the traffic rules do not specify who must be listed in column "Vehicle A" or "Vehicle B"; this is determined by mutual agreement at the scene, with the main requirement being that the circumstances are agreed upon and the data is entered correctly without corrections.
The analysis of the answer options comes down to the logic of the traffic rules: police officers do not "decide" who fills out which column, since the European Accident Statement is used precisely without their involvement; nor is there a rule that "A" must necessarily be filled out by the at-fault party or the victim. In the context of the theoretical exam, the correct understanding is as follows: either of the two drivers involved in the accident may fill out section "A," and the other section "B," since the letters are only needed to separate the data of the two vehicles, not to determine responsibility.
Clause 1.10 (term “Road Traffic Accident”)
Road traffic accident — an event that occurred during the movement of a vehicle, as a result of which people were killed or injured, or material damage was caused.
This term defines an event for which a “joint notification of a road traffic accident (European Accident Statement)” may be drawn up in cases provided for by the Traffic Rules.
Clause 1.10 (term “Driver”)
Driver — a person who operates a vehicle and has a driver’s license (tractor driver’s license, temporary permit to drive a vehicle) of the appropriate category.
In the context of the European Accident Statement, it is the drivers of the vehicles involved in the accident who “jointly complete” it, i.e., fill in the fields of the form.
Clause 2.10 (driver’s duties in case of involvement in a road traffic accident; completion without police via the European Accident Statement)
In the event of a road traffic accident involving only two insured vehicles, in the absence of injured (deceased) persons, and provided that the drivers of these vehicles agree on the circumstances of the accident, and there are no signs of alcohol, drug, or other intoxication or being under the influence of medications that reduce attention and reaction speed, these drivers have the right to jointly complete the notification of the road traffic accident (European Accident Statement) and leave the scene.
This clause checks the understanding that the document is “joint” and is completed by both drivers, and the Traffic Rules do not specify who exactly must fill in the “Vehicle A” or “Vehicle B” section/column — this is determined by the participants on the spot by mutual agreement.
That is, the correct answer is “Either of the drivers of the vehicles involved in the accident,” given that, according to the definition in the Traffic Rules, the notification of a road traffic accident (European Accident Statement) may be jointly completed by the drivers, and thus the allocation of “Vehicle A/Vehicle B” between them is not regulated by the Traffic Rules.
When completing the joint notification of a road traffic accident (the European Accident Statement), the form is structured so that it has two sections for entering information about the participants: "Vehicle A" and "Vehicle B." These labels are used solely for the convenience of filling out the document and to clearly separate the information about the two vehicles.
The rules do not specify that the "Vehicle A" section must be filled out by the party at fault or, conversely, by the victim. The main requirement is that both drivers enter accurate information about their vehicles, the circumstances of the incident, and jointly record the fact of the accident in the shared document. Therefore, the choice of who will be "A" and who will be "B" does not affect the legal significance of the notification.
For example, if two drivers agree to fill out the European Accident Statement after a collision, one of them may start and take column "A" for themselves, and the other — column "B." The opposite situation is also possible: the first driver fills out "B," and the second — "A." In any case, what matters is not which letter is assigned to the vehicle, but that the information is entered correctly, legibly, and without corrections.
Therefore, the correct answer is "Either of the drivers involved in the accident," since in the European Accident Statement, the designations "A" and "B" are only a conditional division for entering data, and the Traffic Rules do not link the completion of the "Vehicle A" section to a specific participant (whether at fault or the victim).