Traffic rules prohibit driving someone else's car without a written power of attorney from its owner. On August 1, the State Duma sent to Prime Minister of the Russian Federation D. A. Medvedev a letter with a request to cancel the power of attorney for cars.
According to the current rules, each driver must have a vehicle registration certificate, an MTPL policy and a driver's license. If the car belongs to another owner, there must also be a power of attorney for the right to drive from its owner. If the driver does not have a power of attorney, the car is sent to a penalty parking lot. In the opinion of the State Duma deputies, a power of attorney for a car is not relevant for a long time, since it is written in a simple written form and is not certified by a seal, therefore it is easy to forge. This opinion is shared by the traffic police.
Appealing to the Prime Minister with a request to cancel the power of attorney, the deputies point out that the power of attorney for the right to drive does not exist in most countries of the world. It was conceived as a means to combat theft, but the development of communications has led to the fact that the traffic police inspector has the ability at any time to request the necessary data on the car and its owner. According to the deputies, the right to drive a car will be confirmed by an entry in the OSAGO policy. In this situation, the existence of a power of attorney has lost all meaning and only gives motorists unnecessary trouble.
Nevertheless, the new initiative also has opponents. The Ministry of Justice opposes it: the department believes that this document is the basis for bringing to justice the driver who became the culprit of the accident. The traffic police refute this opinion, believing that in any case, with or without power of attorney, the person who drove the car will be responsible for the accident.
Despite the clearly urgent need to revoke the power of attorney, not all the nuances have yet been taken into account. For example, it is unclear who will pay the fine if the violation is noticed by the automatic fixation complex - in this case, the fines are issued in the name of the car owner. Now it is the owner of the car who has to prove that he was not driving. Now the State Duma deputies have to wait for the Prime Minister's answer and, in case of a positive decision, develop the necessary amendments to the legislation.
