8.1.13. To which road users does this traffic light apply?
UAНа яких учасників дорожнього руху поширює свою дію даний світлофор?
This exam question from the Traffic Rules of Ukraine concerns traffic light signals and safety at controlled pedestrian crossings. Correct understanding of whom a particular traffic light is intended for directly affects safety: pedestrians rely on it to know when they can begin crossing, while drivers must understand that a pedestrian traffic light does not replace the vehicle traffic light and does not grant permission for vehicles to move.
The question tests knowledge of the section of the Traffic Rules regarding traffic lights, specifically item 8.7.7 of the Ukrainian Traffic Rules. According to this item, if the traffic light signal is in the form of a pedestrian silhouette, its effect applies only to pedestrians: green allows crossing, red prohibits it. In practice, this means that such a two-section traffic light is installed specifically to regulate the movement of people across the roadway, not for drivers.
The analysis of the options in the theoretical exam is straightforward: statements about the effect on vehicles are incorrect, since other traffic lights (with round signals, arrows, etc.) and priority road signs apply to drivers. The option about the effect on both vehicles and pedestrians is also incorrect: according to the traffic rules, the pedestrian silhouette is intended exclusively for pedestrians, and for people with visual impairments, an additional audible signal may be activated, confirming its "pedestrian" purpose.
Clause 8.7.7 of the Traffic Rules of Ukraine
If the traffic light signal is in the form of a pedestrian silhouette, it applies only to pedestrians; in this case, the green signal allows movement, while the red signal prohibits it. For visually impaired pedestrians, an audible signal may be activated, which allows pedestrian movement.
Brief application: a two-section traffic light with a pedestrian silhouette regulates the movement of pedestrians specifically, not drivers or other road users.
Clause 1.10 of the Traffic Rules of Ukraine (the term "Road User")
A road user is a person who directly participates in the process of movement on the road as a pedestrian, driver, passenger, animal handler, cyclist, as well as a person moving in a wheelchair.
Brief application: the question clarifies to whom exactly (from the list of road users) the effect of a specific traffic light applies; the answer follows directly from the provision of clause 8.7.7.
That is, the correct answer is "To pedestrians," given that according to the definition in the Traffic Rules, a traffic light with a pedestrian silhouette applies only to pedestrians.
In the Traffic Rules of Ukraine, the concept of a “road user” is broad: it includes drivers, passengers, pedestrians, and so on. Therefore, in such questions, it is important to determine exactly whom a specific regulatory device is intended for.
Clause 8.7.7 of the Traffic Rules of Ukraine explains that if a traffic light displays the silhouette of a pedestrian, its signals are not intended for drivers, but specifically for people crossing the roadway. Such a traffic light is installed at controlled pedestrian crossings and indicates to pedestrians when crossing is permitted or prohibited.
A green signal with a pedestrian silhouette means that a pedestrian may begin to cross the road, while a red signal prohibits entering the crossing. If the signal changes while a person is already on the crossing, they have the right to finish crossing. At some crossings, the green signal may be accompanied by an audible signal to help, in particular, visually impaired pedestrians orient themselves.
Therefore, the correct answer is "For pedestrians," since a traffic light with a pedestrian silhouette, according to clause 8.7.7 of the Traffic Rules, regulates only pedestrian movement and is not intended for drivers.