52.7. What is the maximum permitted speed for minibuses on roads with separate carriageways?
UAЗ якою максимальною швидкістю допускається рух мікроавтобусів на дорогах з окремими проїзними частинами?
This exam question from the Traffic Rules of Ukraine concerns the safe choice of speed outside populated areas and the correct application of speed limits depending on the type of road. In the theoretical exam, such tasks check whether the driver can navigate speed restrictions and understands that on roads with a dividing strip, the permitted speed may be higher than on ordinary rural roads.
The question tests knowledge of the section of the Traffic Rules regarding speed limits, specifically clause 12.6, as well as understanding of the term "minibus" from clause 1.10. An important nuance: in clause 12.6, a separate limit of 90 km/h is set for buses, but with a direct exception for minibuses; therefore, under normal conditions, a minibus falls under the category of "other vehicles." For a road with separate carriageways divided by a median strip, the rule of 110 km/h applies to this category, so this is the correct answer.
Analysis of the answer options helps to avoid common mistakes on the exam: 80 km/h applies, in particular, to buses and minibuses when transporting organized groups of children and other specifically defined cases; 90 km/h in this context is often confused with the limit for buses, but minibuses are excluded from it; 130 km/h applies to motorways (sign 5.1), not to roads with separate carriageways. In practice, knowledge of this topic from the traffic rules allows you to correctly choose the driving mode, not violate speed limits, and reduce the risk of accidents on high-speed rural roads.
Clause 1.10 (term “Minibus”)
Minibus — a single-deck bus with no more than seventeen seats, including the driver’s seat.
Clause 12.6
Outside populated areas on all roads and on roads passing through populated areas marked with sign 5.51 “Beginning of a populated area”, driving is allowed at the following speeds:
a) buses (minibuses) transporting organized groups of children, passenger cars with trailers, and motorcycles — no more than 80 km/h;
b) vehicles driven by drivers with less than 2 years of experience — no more than 70 km/h;
c) trucks transporting people in the cargo bed, and mopeds — no more than 60 km/h;
d) buses (except minibuses) — no more than 90 km/h;
e) other vehicles: on a motorway marked with road sign 5.1 “Motorway” — no more than 130 km/h, on a road with separate carriageways divided by a median strip — no more than 110 km/h, on other roads — no more than 90 km/h.
(Application to the question: since subclause “d” sets a limit for buses with the exception of minibuses, the minibus falls under subclause “e” as “other vehicle”, and on a road with separate carriageways the maximum speed is 110 km/h.)
Thus, the correct answer is “110 km/h”, considering that according to the definition in the Traffic Rules, a minibus is specifically excluded from the bus limitation (clause 12.6 “d”) and therefore on a road with separate carriageways follows the rule of clause 12.6 “e” (110 km/h).
To correctly determine the maximum speed, it is first important to understand what a minibus is according to the Traffic Rules. In the terminology of the Rules, a minibus is classified as a type of bus: it is a single-deck bus with no more than 17 seats, including the driver's seat.
Next, we refer to paragraph 12.6 of the Traffic Rules of Ukraine, which sets speed limits outside populated areas depending on the category of the vehicle and the type of road. This paragraph separately defines lower limits for certain buses, but these restrictions specifically apply to cases such as transporting organized groups of children or other special conditions.
If there are no such special conditions, the minibus follows the general rule for other vehicles on the corresponding type of road. For a road with separate carriageways divided by a median strip, paragraph 12.6 sets a maximum speed of 110 km/h. This limit also applies to minibuses during regular travel on such a road.
Therefore, the correct answer is "110 km/h," since according to paragraph 12.6 of the Traffic Rules, on a road with separate carriageways (with a median strip), the general limit of 110 km/h applies to minibuses in the absence of special conditions.