9.17. Which warning signal must you as a driver activate on the vehicle before starting to move and when stopping?
UAЯкий попереджувальний сигнал Ви як водій повинні вмикати на транспортному засобі перед початком руху і зупинкою?
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This is an exam question from the Traffic Rules of Ukraine concerning road safety and interaction between road users through warning signals. Before starting to move or stopping, the driver changes the traffic situation: merging into the flow, crossing the paths of others, or conversely—slowing down and moving toward the edge of the roadway. An advance signal gives drivers behind, pedestrians, and cyclists time to react, maintain distance, and avoid conflict.
The question tests knowledge of the section of the Traffic Rules regarding warning signals, specifically the requirements of clause 9.2 (as well as the logic of clause 9.1) about the obligation to signal with the appropriate direction indicator before starting to move and before stopping. It is the turn indicator that informs others which way you will be leaving the parking spot or where you are moving to stop, which is why it is the basic and correct option for the theoretical exam.
The other options are typical traps. Hazard warning lights in the traffic rules are used to indicate danger, forced stops, and other special cases, but not as a standard warning signal before starting to move or making a planned stop. Parking lights are intended to indicate a vehicle while parked in low visibility conditions; they do not communicate the intention to start moving or stop and do not replace the turn indicator. In practice, giving the correct signal together with checking mirrors and blind spots reduces the risk of collision when pulling out from the roadside or when taking a position to stop.
Clause 9.2
The driver must give signals using the direction indicators of the corresponding direction: a) before starting to move and stopping; b) before changing lanes, turning, or making a U-turn.
Application: this clause directly establishes the obligation to activate the corresponding direction indicator as a warning signal before starting to move and before stopping.
Clause 9.1
The driver must give warning signals using the direction indicators of the corresponding direction, and in their absence or malfunction — by hand.
Application: this clause clarifies that the main way to give a warning signal is specifically by using the direction indicators (turn signals).
Therefore, the correct answer is "Direction indicator," considering that according to the definition in the Traffic Rules, the driver is obliged to give a warning signal using the direction indicators of the corresponding direction before starting to move and before stopping.
Before starting to move from a parking spot or a stop, as well as before stopping, the driver changes the traffic situation for other road users. Others need to understand your intention in advance: whether you are about to drive off and merge into the flow, or, on the contrary, you are going to reduce speed and take a position to stop.
That is why clause 9.2 of the Traffic Rules of Ukraine establishes the requirement to give warning signals using the direction indicators of the corresponding direction, in particular before starting to move and before stopping. That is, before leaving a parking spot, you turn on the indicator on the side you will be driving out to (usually the left one if you are leaving from the right edge of the road), and before stopping — the indicator on the side where you plan to move to stop (for example, the right one if you are stopping near the right edge).
Imagine a typical situation: you are standing near the right edge, and a cyclist or a car may be moving in the far right lane nearby. If you start moving without signaling, others may not have time to realize that you are entering the roadway. Similarly, when you are about to stop, without the indicator on, drivers behind may not expect your maneuver to the edge and reduction in speed.
Therefore, the correct answer is "Turn indicator," since before starting to move and before stopping, the Traffic Rules require giving a warning signal with the direction indicators of the corresponding direction to notify others of your intention in advance.