52.9. Which of the drivers stopped in violation of the Traffic Rules on a road in a populated area, if it is known that the drivers of the tractor and the truck with a permitted maximum mass of over 3.5 tons stopped without the need for loading or unloading, and the bus driver stopped without the need for boarding or alighting passengers?
UAХто з водіїв зупинився з порушенням Правил дорожнього руху на дорозі в населеному пункті, якщо відомо, що водії трактора і вантажного автомобіля з дозволеною максимальною масою понад 3,5 т зупинилися без необхідності завантаження чи розвантаження, а водій автобуса - без необхідності посадки або висадки пасажирів?
This exam question from the Traffic Rules of Ukraine tests attention to the rules for stopping in a populated area on a one-way road and the ability to distinguish general permissions from special restrictions for certain types of vehicles. The topic is directly related to road safety: improper stopping on the left side or in the far-left lane on a multi-lane road creates obstacles, reduces visibility, and increases the risk of accidents, which is critical for the theoretical exam.
The question concerns the sections of the Traffic Rules about the placement of vehicles on the carriageway and stopping and parking. According to paragraph 15.3, stopping on the left side of a one-way road in a populated area is generally allowed, so for the bus, the mere fact of stopping on the left is not an automatic violation within the scope of this task. At the same time, paragraph 11.6 establishes a special rule: on roads with three or more lanes in one direction, trucks over 3.5 tons and tractors are allowed to enter the far-left lane in a populated area on a one-way road to stop on the left only in permitted cases for the purpose of loading or unloading. Since the condition explicitly states that there was no such necessity, their stop is considered a violation.
When evaluating the answer options, the statement that all drivers committed a violation is incorrect, because the bus does not have the same restriction as the truck over 3.5 tons and the tractor, and the general rule of paragraph 15.3 allows stopping on the left on a one-way road. The option stating there were no violations is also not suitable, since the special prohibition of paragraph 11.6 is not fulfilled. That is why the correct answer is the option where the drivers of the truck and the tractor are recognized as violators — this is a typical tricky point that often appears in exam questions for the theoretical test.
Clause 11.6
On roads with three or more lanes in one direction, trucks with a permitted maximum mass of over 3.5 t, tractors, self-propelled machines and mechanisms are allowed to enter the far left lane only for turning left or making a U-turn, and in populated areas on one-way roads, in addition to this, — for stopping on the left, in permitted cases, for the purpose of loading or unloading.
This clause directly checks that a truck over 3.5 t and a tractor on a road with three (or more) lanes in one direction in a populated area may stop on the left on a one-way road only for loading/unloading; in the problem, there is no such purpose — therefore, there is a violation.
Clause 15.3
In populated areas, stopping and parking of vehicles is allowed on the left side of a road that has one lane in each direction (without tram tracks in the middle) and is not divided by marking 1.1, as well as on the left side of a one-way road. If the road has a boulevard or a dividing strip, stopping and parking vehicles near them is prohibited.
This clause explains the general permissibility of stopping on the left side in a populated area on a one-way road (that is, for the bus such a stop is not prohibited in itself), but does not cancel the special restrictions of clause 11.6 for trucks over 3.5 t and tractors.
Clause 33.5.5 — 33 "Road Signs", 5 "Information and Direction Signs", sign 5.5 "One-Way Road"
"One-Way Road" — a road or separated carriageway on which traffic of vehicles across the entire width is carried out only in one direction.
This clarifies the condition of the problem regarding one-way traffic, under which the special rule of clause 11.6 applies for stopping on the left for trucks over 3.5 t and tractors.
Clause 1.10 (term "Stop")
Stop — cessation of movement of a vehicle for up to 5 minutes or more if necessary for boarding (alighting) passengers or loading (unloading) cargo, fulfilling the requirements of these Rules or a traffic controller.
The term is important for understanding that "stopped without the need for loading/unloading (or boarding/alighting)" means the absence of the purpose which in clause 11.6 is the only basis for stopping on the left for a truck over 3.5 t and a tractor.
That is, the correct answer is "The drivers of the truck and the tractor.", given that according to the definition of the Traffic Rules, on a road with three or more lanes in one direction, they are allowed to stop on the left on a one-way road in a populated area only for the purpose of loading or unloading (clause 11.6), and in the problem statement, this purpose is absent.
The situation concerns stopping in a populated area on a one-way road, where vehicles have stopped on the left side. The general rule for such roads is as follows: in populated areas, stopping on the left side of a one-way road is allowed. This follows from clause 15.3 of the Traffic Rules, which permits stopping and parking on the left under these conditions.
However, for certain categories of vehicles, there is an additional restriction: trucks with a permitted maximum mass of over 3.5 tons, as well as tractors (and similar machinery), are allowed to move into the far left lane on roads with three or more lanes in one direction only in exceptional cases. In a populated area on a one-way road, they are allowed to stop on the left only if it is for the purpose of loading or unloading. The question directly states that the drivers of the tractor and the truck stopped without such a need, meaning they do not fall under the permitted exception. Therefore, their stop is a violation.
Regarding the bus: the question specifically clarifies that it stopped without the need for boarding or alighting passengers. For the bus, there is no such restriction as there is for trucks over 3.5 tons and tractors regarding stopping on the left on a one-way road. Therefore, if the bus stops on the left side in a populated area and this does not contradict the general conditions of clause 15.3, the mere absence of boarding/alighting does not make it a violation within the context of this question.
Therefore, the correct answer is "The drivers of the truck and the tractor," since for a truck over 3.5 tons and a tractor, stopping on the left on such a road is allowed only for loading/unloading, and the condition states that there was no such need.