Since the spread of cars, each country has begun to establish its own rules of the road. Such an abundance of various rules significantly impeded the implementation of freight and passenger road transport. Therefore, European countries have decided to standardize the order on the road around the world and bring national road rules to a common denominator. The result of this painstaking work was the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic, thanks to which the general rules of the road became uniform and binding.
What is the Vienna Convention?
This international treaty was concluded in 1968. The main objective of this agreement was to take the measures necessary to improve traffic safety in all countries of the world. The treaty itself was presented at a UNESCO conference in Vienna in the fall of 1968. There, the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic was adopted, standardizing the use of road signs, markings and other signs, which would facilitate the movement of roads in different countries. In 1971, final amendments were worked out and made to this agreement in Geneva, according to which each state recognizes a driver’s license issued to foreign citizens in the territory of another country without the mandatory confirmation of these rights by national authorities. Thanks to the convention, any traveler can freely cross the borders of the participating countries, without worrying about whether the driver’s license is valid.
Vienna Convention and Driving License
The states that ratified the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic recognize the Russian driver’s license without having to retake the exam and receive internationally recognized certificates. In 2006, the form of the internal driving license was changed in accordance with international standards. The countries of the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic have committed to bring their internal certificates to an international uniform format within five years. In Russia, a new type of certificate began to operate in March 2011. Old driver’s licenses are still valid, but to travel abroad they should be replaced with international documents.
How is the convention adoption process
Altogether, according to the United Nations , 82 states have joined the convention. Later it was signed by another 38 states. Eight new countries have joined the general rules of the road after the collapse of previous states. But for entry into the convention, one signature on the contract is not enough. It is necessary that the parliament of each state approves (ratifies) this document. Only then will the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic become binding on the territory of that country. A country that has signed the convention but has not ratified it has the right not to recognize foreign driver’s licenses in its own state.
Do Russian rights recognize abroad
In online publications you can find information that the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic obliges all member countries to recognize a driver’s license issued by these states. This statement is not entirely correct. The 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic recommends that all the rights of the participating countries be brought to a single international model. So, the driver of the driver’s certification for the approved category (A, B, C, etc.) and the Latin transliteration of the driver’s surname become a mandatory requisite of international rights.
Can foreigners use their rights in Russia
According to the 1999 Decree, all foreign citizens temporarily located in the territory of our state can drive vehicles if they have international driving licenses. But such persons do not have the right to participate in business operations or to work for hire with the involvement of vehicles. In other words, traveling by car is only for personal or tourist purposes. Working on a car with foreign rights is prohibited. In order to carry out business activities, you must confirm your ability to drive a vehicle by passing a qualification exam.
If a Russian citizen has obtained driving rights in another state, he does not have the right to drive a car in our country. According to the Vienna agreements, member countries are not required to recognize foreign rights granted to their own citizens. Therefore, citizens of Russia should re-pass the qualification test for driving in order to obtain Russian-style rights.
The significance of the convention
The Vienna Convention on Road Traffic has greatly simplified the border crossing process. Now, goods could be delivered by one machine in the indicated direction - so the cost of logistics services for end consumers has become much lower.
The rules of the road have also been simplified significantly —
road signs, road markings, traffic controllers have been unified — now these parameters have become the same for all participating countries. As a result, the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic has become another factor in combining national economies into a single world system.