7.3. On which side of a horse-drawn cart (sleigh) must lanterns be installed for driving at night?
UAЗ якого боку гужового воза (саней) повинні бути встановлені ліхтарі для руху в темну пору доби?
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This exam question from the Traffic Rules of Ukraine concerns road safety during nighttime and in conditions of insufficient visibility, when it is especially important to properly mark slow and inconspicuous vehicles on the road. A horse-drawn cart or sleigh can be an unexpected obstacle for faster vehicles, so the correct use of lighting devices helps other drivers to assess the dimensions and position of such transport on the carriageway or roadside in advance.
This checks knowledge of the section of the traffic rules regarding external lighting devices and the marking of vehicles, in particular the requirements of paragraph 7.3 of the Traffic Rules. According to this paragraph, at night or in conditions of insufficient visibility, horse-drawn vehicles must have white lights turned on at the front and red at the rear, and they are installed on the left side of the cart (sleigh). The logic behind this requirement is practical: the left edge is closer to the center of the road, so it needs to be clearly shown to other road users for safe passing or overtaking.
During the theoretical exam, a common mistake is to choose the option of installing lights on both sides, guided by the idea of "maximum visibility." However, this exam question assesses not general advisability, but the exact norm of the Traffic Rules of Ukraine: the rules directly specify the exact placement of the lights on the left side, so the option "on the right and left" does not correspond to the wording of paragraph 7.3. Knowing this detail helps to answer the tickets correctly and to understand how to mark horse-drawn vehicles in real road conditions.
Clause 7.3
For movement at night and in conditions of insufficient visibility, lanterns must be turned on on animal-drawn vehicles: white in front, red in the rear, which are installed on the left side of the cart (sleigh).
Clause 1.10 (term "Night time")
Night time — the part of the day from the end of evening twilight to the beginning of morning twilight.
Clause 1.10 (term "Insufficient visibility")
Insufficient visibility — road visibility in the direction of travel of less than 300 m in twilight, fog, rain, snowfall, etc.
Clause 1.10 (term "Animal-drawn vehicle")
Animal-drawn vehicle — a vehicle driven by an animal.
Thus, the correct answer is "On the left.", considering that according to the definition in Clause 7.3 of the Traffic Rules, there is a direct requirement to place lanterns on the animal-drawn cart (sleigh) specifically on the left side for movement at night and in conditions of insufficient visibility.
At night or in conditions of insufficient visibility, a horse-drawn cart or sleigh is much less visible on the road than a motor vehicle. Therefore, the Rules require such transport to be marked with lights so that other drivers can recognize it in time on the carriageway and correctly assess its position and movement.
According to paragraph 7.3 of the Traffic Rules of Ukraine, for driving in the dark, horse-drawn vehicles must have lanterns: white in the front and red in the rear. These lanterns are not installed arbitrarily, but on a specific side of the cart (sleigh) — the left side.
The logic of this requirement is simple: the left side is closer to the center of the carriageway. It is this edge of the horse-drawn cart that is most important to show to other road users so that they understand its dimensions and position on the road and can safely pass or overtake it without coming too close.
Therefore, the correct answer is "On the left.", because according to paragraph 7.3 of the Traffic Rules, lanterns on a horse-drawn cart (sleigh) at night are installed on the left side to clearly indicate its dimensions and position on the road.