In the 57th plenary session of the Senate, the Law on "Amendments and Additions to the Code of Administrative Responsibility of the Republic of Uzbekistan" was reviewed.
The Law abolishes the authority of road patrol service officers, which allowed them to apply on-the-spot fines to violators when traffic rules are violated during the performance of their duties.
Despite the measures taken to ensure road traffic safety, the number of road-transport incidents involving freight vehicles remains high to this day, resulting in a significant number of fatalities and injured citizens.
According to the Cabinet of Ministers' decision No. 172 dated April 12, 2022, the Road Traffic Rules allow freight vehicles to occupy the outer left lane only for turning left or making a U-turn, while movement in the left lane under other circumstances is prohibited.
Due to the lack of established penalties for this violation in current legislation, drivers often move freely in the left lanes of the roads, which leads to congestion and accidents on highways.
In particular, in the past 7 months of 2024, there have been 303 road transport incidents involving freight vehicles, resulting in 108 fatalities and 227 people sustaining injuries.
Taking these aspects into account, the Law establishes administrative responsibility for freight vehicles moving in the outer left lane (except when permitted).
According to the opinion of the parliament members, the adoption of the Law will contribute to ensuring traffic safety on our country's roads, preventing road traffic incidents, and protecting the legal interests of citizens.
The Law was approved by the senators.