Thursday, March 1 2018 11:02

ArmInfo. From April 1, 2018, the import of right-handed vehicles to Armenia will be banned. As early as October 1, the ban will operate within the requirements of the technical regulations of the Customs Union. On March 1, the Armenian Parliament approved in the second and final reading of the bill "On a temporary ban on the import  of vehicles with right-hand drive arrangement", which received public resonance.

According to the First Deputy Minister of Transport, Communications  and Information Technologies of the Republic of Armenia Gagik  Grigoryan, some changes were made to the second reading in the  document. In particular, the word "temporary" was removed from the  document. In addition, the ban on the import of right-hand drive  vehicles will not apply to the owners of those vehicles that before  October 25, 2018 paid the funds and issued documents. In accordance  with the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic of 1968 and the Law of the  Republic of Armenia on Road Safety, the right-hand traffic of  vehicles has been installed on the roads of Armenia. Within the  framework of this principle, the rules of the road for vehicles with  left- hand steering are established.

 Traffic signs, traffic lights are also installed taking into account  the perception of drivers of vehicles with left-hand drive.  "Consequently, the operation of right-hand drive vehicles poses a  threat to road traffic, creates risks for road accidents," the deputy  minister said, again referring to traffic accident statistics  involving right-hand drive cars, which were 28% more likely to crash,  and the number of affected owners of such vehicles more cars by 39%.  The deputy minister said that the owners of the right-hand drive  vehicles will have time to move the rudders. As Grigoryan noted, the  current draft law proposes a full solution to the problem: from April  1 to October 1, 2018, a ban on imports of vehicles with right-hand  drive is to be introduced in Armenia. This provision will be in force  until appropriate additions are made to the decision of the Eurasian  Economic Commission of 9 December 2011 "On the Adoption of the  Technical Regulation of the Customs Union" On the Safety of Wheeled  Vehicles "No. 877 and the addition of a list of countries that  prohibit the use of vehicles with right-hand drive. At the same time,  the Deputy Minister stressed that this restriction will not affect  the current owners of vehicles - they can exploit, put on the  training To register, re-register their vehicles.

We note that experts call cunning that the ban on the import of  right-hand drive vehicles is associated with the need to ensure  safety on the roads. According to the data of the RA Road Police,  2,553 road accidents were registered in Armenia in 2017, of which 253  accidents occurred with the participation of right-hand drive  vehicles, which is only 10% of the total number of traffic  violations.