The Supreme Council is against phones while driving

The main cause of accidents are talking on the phone and messaging while driving, and in accidents with serious consequences, where there are victims, phones are in third place after drunk driving and speeding. This was reported to the deputies of the Supreme Council at a plenary session by the official representative of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Radion Chebotar. He presented to the parliament the law-in-draft of President Vadim Krasnoselsky on toughening the liability for those drivers who drive a car while holding a phone or other mobile communications devices.

The official representative of the Ministry of Internal Affairs added that this law-in-draft was considered the day before at a meeting of the Committee on Legislation, Protection of Rights and Freedoms of Citizens. It was decided based on the questions voiced by the Committee deputies to specify the proposed regulations for the second reading so that drivers would understand what devices would be prohibited from being used while driving. This idea was supported at the plenary session.

As Radion Chebotar explained, the Safe City system cameras show that drivers can keep a laptop on their lap and a tablet on the steering wheel. The President's law-in-draft contains explanations of what may be related to mobile communication and interaction devices in order to cover all technical means that in practice can distract the driver from the road.

According to the official representative of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the essence of the law-in-draft is to ensure that the driver has free hands. If the amendments to the Code of Administrative Offenses are adopted, a standard navigator or a phone or tablet attached to the dashboard will not be considered a violation.

They talked in the course of the plenary session about the culture of behavior of pedestrians and cyclists on the roads. Their inattention often leads to accidents.

Headphones and phones in the hands of pedestrians are a pressing problem on the roads, confirmed a representative of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Cyclists are distracted on the road, noted Radion Chebotar.

Discussing the law-in-draft, the majority of deputies supported the President's proposal to use cameras of the "Safe City" system and other video recording devices to record the use of phones while driving. Only traffic militia inspectors could record such a violation until now. Radion Chebotar named recording an unfastened seat belt as a positive example of using photo and video recording of violations. The introduction of such an automatic system has led to the fact that 9 out of 10 drivers fasten their seat belts while driving now, one can say. The Ministry of Internal Affairs expects the same improved statistics of violations from the recording of drivers with phones in their hands by cameras.

Saving people's lives is the main thesis for which the deputies of the Supreme Council supported the law-in-draft of President Vadim Krasnoselsky in the first reading.

According to the current norms of the Code of Administrative Offenses, the fine for using a phone while driving is 5 minimum wages (92 rubles). The law-in-draft proposes to double the penalties. Deputies will discuss the need for the proposed increase in fines for drivers with "gadgets in their hands" during the second reading.