5.16. Is the boarding of passengers carried out correctly in the given situation?
UAЧи правильно здійснюють посадку пасажири в наведеній ситуації?
This exam question from the Traffic Rules of Ukraine concerns safety during the boarding and alighting of passengers when a vehicle has stopped near the roadway. Such situations are among the most dangerous in the city: the passenger finds themselves in the zone of moving vehicles, and open doors can create a sudden obstacle. In the theoretical exam, it is important to understand that even a brief 'boarding from the inconvenient side' can lead to a collision or traffic accident, especially if there is another flow of traffic nearby.
Section 5 of the Traffic Rules is being tested, specifically point 5.1 'Duties and rights of pedestrians and passengers,' which directly prohibits boarding or alighting from the side of the adjacent traffic lane. The rule establishes a priority safe algorithm: first the sidewalk, if absent the roadside, and only as an exception is the outermost lane of the roadway where the car is standing allowed, but not from the side where other vehicles are moving nearby. That is why the correct approach is to allow boarding only from the safe side and not to allow entry/exit from the side of the adjacent lane.
In the option that claims boarding is possible 'from any side of the roadway,' the key prohibition of point 5.1 is ignored: safety and 'not creating obstacles' do not override the requirement not to enter the vehicle from the side of the adjacent lane. Instead, the correct logic of the second option is consistent with the traffic rules: the passenger must board/alight from the sidewalk, roadside, or from the outermost lane precisely on the side where the vehicle is standing, so as not to end up in a dangerous traffic zone and not to provoke conflict with vehicles in the neighboring lane.
Clause 5.1 (Section 5 "Duties and Rights of Pedestrians and Passengers" — boarding/alighting of passengers)
To ensure road safety and to eliminate the possibility of vehicles hitting pedestrians, the Traffic Rules prohibit boarding or alighting passengers from the side of the adjacent carriageway. Passengers are required to alight (board) only from the sidewalk, or if it is absent, from the roadside, without creating obstacles for other road users, or from the outermost lane of the carriageway where the vehicle is parked, for example, through the rear gate of a truck.
This clause directly checks that boarding/alighting must be performed from the sidewalk/roadside, and if they are absent — from the outermost lane, but not from the side of the adjacent lane of traffic (that is, not from the side where another flow/row of vehicles is moving).
Clause 1.10 (term "Carriageway")
Carriageway — an element of the road intended for the movement of non-rail vehicles.
This term is needed to understand exactly where boarding (alighting) is prohibited/allowed in the situation shown in the image.
Clause 1.10 (term "Traffic lane")
Traffic lane — a longitudinal strip on the carriageway, marked or unmarked by road markings, wide enough for the movement of one row of non-rail vehicles.
This term is needed to distinguish the "outermost lane," from which boarding (alighting) may be allowed, from the "adjacent lane," from the side of which boarding (alighting) is prohibited.
Clause 1.10 (term "Sidewalk")
Sidewalk — an element of the road intended for pedestrian movement, which adjoins the carriageway or is separated from it by a lawn.
This term is needed because the Traffic Rules establish the priority and safest way of boarding/alighting as being from the sidewalk.
Clause 1.10 (term "Roadside")
Roadside — an element of the road directly adjoining the carriageway, not intended for vehicle movement, but may be used for their stopping and parking, as well as for pedestrian movement.
This term is needed because in the absence of a sidewalk, boarding/alighting must be performed from the roadside (provided it is safe and does not create obstacles).
That is, the correct answer is "No, passengers are allowed to board (alight) from the outermost lane of the carriageway (but not from the side of the adjacent traffic lane), provided that it is safe and does not create obstacles for other road users," given that according to the definition in the Traffic Rules, boarding/alighting is prohibited from the side of the adjacent traffic lane and must be performed from the sidewalk, roadside, or (if they are absent) from the outermost lane of the carriageway, without creating obstacles or danger.
In this situation, the female passenger with children approaches the car from the side that is dangerous for boarding: in fact, she ends up on the roadway next to the adjacent traffic lane, where other vehicles may be moving nearby. Such boarding creates a risk of being hit for both the adult and the children.
The traffic rules require that passengers enter and exit the vehicle primarily from a safe area: from the sidewalk, or if there is no sidewalk, from the roadside. This is done so that people are not in the area of active vehicle movement and do not force other drivers to make sudden maneuvers or brake sharply.
As an exception, when there is no sidewalk or roadside, boarding or alighting is allowed from the outermost lane of the roadway where the vehicle has stopped. But the key condition: it must be the outermost lane on the side where the vehicle is standing, and not from the side of the adjacent traffic lane. That is, the passenger must not enter or exit from the side where other vehicles are moving nearby.
In the given example, the female passenger is boarding from the dangerous side, ending up in the area of the adjacent lane. This directly contradicts the safety requirements established in the Traffic Rules and may create obstacles for other road users, especially if someone is moving nearby or approaching.
Therefore, the correct answer is "No, boarding (alighting) is allowed for passengers from the outermost lane of the roadway (but not from the side of the adjacent traffic lane), provided that it is safe and does not create obstacles for other road users," since passengers must enter/exit from the safe side (sidewalk/roadside or outermost lane), and not from the side of the adjacent lane, where there is real danger for them and obstacles for traffic.