The scooter is a very popular means of transportation, especially during the summer. This is due to the fact that quite recently there was no need to obtain a driver's license to drive this vehicle. Now the situation is changing, and driving a scooter may soon require a license.
Letter of the law
Since November 5, 2013, amendments have been made to the Federal Law "On Road Safety", according to which driving scooters, mopeds and light ATVs requires the possession of special rights of category "M". According to the logic of the layman, this law obliges the scooter driver to acquire new rights. However, the procedure for obtaining this category of rights is still under development. It is worth noting that there were no changes in the traffic rules related to driving scooters either. Therefore, according to paragraph 1.2 of these rules, a scooter is not a power-driven vehicle. Consequently, you can fearlessly drive a scooter without a warrior's license. The situation will change only when new traffic rules are announced, according to which drivers of scooters will be obliged to have a category "M" license.
Although an ambiguous situation has developed around the category "M" rights, the amount of the fine for driving a scooter without a license has already been approved - 800 rubles.
Existing nuances
At the moment, in order for the scooter driver to be sure that he does not need a driver's license, he must make sure that his engine does not exceed 50 cm³ and its maximum speed does not exceed 50 km / h. Otherwise, a scooter can be equated with a motorcycle, for which you still need a license to drive. If everything is in order, for a comfortable and fearless driving of a scooter, the driver only needs to have the passport of this vehicle with him. This will be useful if the traffic police inspector stops him and asks to show his license.
There are many craftsmen among the drivers who alter the scooter engines in the direction of increasing the volume. These alterations have an extremely negative effect on both the resource of the engine itself and the wear of the gearbox.
Reasons for introducing a new category of rights
The main reason for such actions by the authorities is the complete lack of knowledge of traffic rules among the majority of scooter drivers, which is why the number of fatal accidents involving this type of vehicle is steadily growing. Secondly, most of the points of the road traffic rules do not apply to the drivers of these vehicles, which is why the occurrence of dangerous situations due to the fault of the scooter drivers becomes commonplace. Thirdly, insurance companies refuse to insure these vehicles, so if the scooter driver hits the car, then the repair will be made at their own expense, while the scooter driver has the legal right to leave in all four directions.
Sanctions against scooter drivers
Deputies of the State Duma have repeatedly raised the issue of introducing a moratorium on driving scooters in the Russian Federation before the legislative approval of the procedure for obtaining a driving license of category "M", but this issue has been hanging in the air since the beginning of 2013. How the situation with the scooter driving license will be in 2014 is not yet clear.
