Currently, more and more people at least once in their life have been outside their homeland. With the advent of airplanes and other modes of transport, borders that were previously almost completely closed are becoming more blurred. However, not everyone likes to travel abroad by plane or train, because there is another convenient form of transport, namely a personal car. With the spread of this type of travel, it became necessary to adopt an official document that would help ensure the proper level of safety on international roads. For many years, the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic has been excellently acting in its role, with changes that are periodically introduced there. It is about what is written in this document and what rights it gives to citizens, and will be described in this article.
History reference
The Vienna Convention on Road Traffic was developed for the first time at the initiative of UNESCO back in 1968. In addition to it, the Convention on Road Signs and Signals was also developed. As the name implies, the conference during which these documents were developed was held in Vienna. The creation of this international document - the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic - was intended precisely to maximize the safety of drivers on the roads. This was supposed to be done by standardizing the rules that would apply in all countries ratifying the treaty. Subsequently, the Convention was supplemented in May 1971 in Geneva in the form of a European agreement.
Country
In 1968, the number of countries that signed the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic was equated to 64. It was they who directly participated in the conference that developed the international treaty. Participants included the following countries:
- Europe - Austria, Great Britain, Hungary, Germany, Italy, Macedonia, Monaco, Luxembourg, Sweden, Portugal, France.
- Asia - Albania, Armenia, Vietnam, Kazakhstan, Republic of Korea, Saudi Arabia, Turkey.
- South America - The Bahamas, Brazil, Venezuela, Mexico, Peru, Chile, Uruguay.
- Africa - Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zimbabwe, Qatar, Kenya, Senegal, Ecuador.
The list of countries of the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic includes Russia, which has successfully ratified this agreement, which many countries have not done.
Convention structure
In addition to the countries of the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic, the structure of this document also refers to interesting issues. In fact, the contract is divided into 6 chapters, and in addition to them there are 7 more applications. Particular attention should be paid here to Annex 6 of the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic, as it regulates national driver's licenses, which will be described in more detail below.
The convention itself pays special attention to the first and second chapters. It was here that the basic terms that are used in the document were defined, as well as the basic rules of the road, that is, traffic signals, requirements for the driver, the procedure for maneuvers and many others.
All other chapters are more specific and primarily aimed at determining what kind of transport can be allowed in international traffic.
But in general, the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic is one of the fundamental documents that drivers need to know, as it is used to standardize road signs in all countries where it operates.
Driver requirements
First of all, the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic defined the requirements that states impose directly on the driver and on his vehicle.It is here that it is directly written that any car driver must be over 18 years old and at the same time have a special certificate issued by the authorities for the right to drive vehicles.
It is obtaining a driver’s license that makes it possible to legally drive a car, so before you get the coveted “crusts”, you will need to undergo special training at an educational institution for motorists, and then pass the exam, which is stipulated by the country's regulations.
But in addition to this, health status is also an important criterion. All these criteria are directly established by the national legislation of the country in which the rights are obtained, but at the same time they should in no case be contrary to the Convention, that is, it is a kind of guideline.
Types of Rights
As mentioned earlier, it is the availability of rights that allows the driver to drive vehicles. The Vienna Convention in its content approved the provision that motorists who visit other states can use one of the two existing categories of this document - national or international law. By the way, all countries that have signed this agreement directly recognize Russian national driver’s licenses, therefore, you will not need to receive international rights separately for traveling abroad to these countries, although this rule does not apply to other states.
Each of the types of rights, both international and national, although it has one role - to enable the driver to drive a vehicle, has certain individual requirements that all states must fulfill.
National rights
Now let's talk in more detail about Appendix 6 to the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic. It is here that all the requirements that apply to national driver's licenses are defined. The last time the format was changed in 2006, so the countries were given 5 years to bring documents to the desired new format. Now all certificates issued since March 2011 fully comply with all the requirements.
Rights Requirements
So, among the existing rules are as follows:
- Rights must be made of paper or plastic and be a card. By default, it has a pinkish color, and its size is 54 by 86 mm. These requirements are not mandatory, but only advisory.
- At the top, the name of the document is written in the national language of the country that issued the rights, and below the personal information of the driver is written in Russian with duplication in Latin letters.
- On the front side, the following personal information about the driver must be indicated - full name, date and place of birth, date of issue of the rights and their expiration date. Also on the document must be a photo and a personal signature of the driver, so that you can identify him.
In addition, other information may be indicated - data on the categories of cars that the owner of the rights can control, as well as the presence of restrictions like driving with glasses. In general, they may have any necessary information that does not contradict the existing Convention.
International law
Very interesting is the 7th Appendix of the Vienna Convention, which speaks of a single form of international driver's license. At the moment, they must meet the following requirements:
- In appearance, they are a small book that has a delicate gray cover and white pages. Its format should be 10.5 by 14.8 cm.
- The front side of the rights contains information about the country that issued the document, its series and number, as well as additional data on national rights.
- Inside the book, information about the owner is necessarily written - his full name, place of permanent residence, available vehicle categories, as well as a photo with a signature.
When traveling abroad, it is best to immediately obtain both documents, since international law is only valid if there are valid national ones.
Special moments
It should be taken into account that international rights cannot be used on the territory of Russia by its citizens, since for this purpose, according to the legislation of the country, it is national rights that exist. However, it is best before starting a trip by personal transport abroad to first find out the existing rules in this country so that you do not subsequently end up in an uncomfortable situation. Such information is freely provided by the embassy staff, so it is easy to find out.
Of course, this rule does not apply to foreign drivers who temporarily stay in Russia, but even their documents are valid only if the personal information in the rights is duplicated using Latin letters. If this requirement has not been met, then you must first translate them into Russian.
Conclusion
The Vienna Convention on Road Traffic in English, that is, the official language, as well as in French, was published in 1968. It is stated directly in its preamble that the adoption of this document is intended to facilitate international traffic on the roads, as well as improve safety and prevent accidents with the help of uniform road signs and traffic rules in all signatory countries. It should be understood that this convention, like almost all other international treaties, is in some way a recommendatory document that establishes only the most general provisions that are the result of consensus between different countries. But on the whole, it really made life easier for drivers who like to travel by personal transport outside their own country, since it allows them not to receive international rights, but still to use national rights, as well as not to relearn the rules and not pass exams again. This agreement is rarely reviewed, therefore, no special new additions have been made to it for a long time, so it is notable for its enviable stability.