The government is weighing a draft amendment to the Code of Administrative Offenses that would establish fines tied to a vehicle’s deviation from the average speed on a road. In the autumn, officials plan to submit the draft to the State Duma, according to the parliamentary newspaper. The Public Chamber is credited with initiating the bill, as reported by the same publication. This framing suggests a shift toward speed regulation anchored in observed traffic flow rather than a fixed limit alone.
Alongside the main proposal, the document requests that the State Duma adopt a precise method for calculating a vehicle’s average speed and that penalties be codified within the Code of Administrative Violations for violations of that speed threshold. The aim is to create a transparent standard that drivers and enforcement agencies can reference, reducing ambiguity in cases of alleged speed excesses. This approach reflects an emphasis on measurable, data driven enforcement across road networks .
The explanatory notes accompanying the initiative argue that maintaining a steady pace within a traffic stream lowers the likelihood of abrupt emergency maneuvers and, as a result, contributes to safer road conditions. By smoothing velocity variations, the policy intends to minimize risky accelerations and decelerations that often lead to collisions, particularly in dense traffic scenarios .
Initial details of the plan reveal a tiered fine structure: exceeding the average speed by more than 20 km/h would trigger a 500 ruble penalty, while violations in the range of 40 to 60 km/h above the average would incur 1,500 rubles. A repeated offense could lead to a suspension of driving privileges for up to one year. If the excess speed reaches 60 km/h or more, the fine would rise to 5,000 rubles, with a potential one-year ban on driving for repeat incidents. These thresholds are designed to incentivize steadier driving and to address both single incidents and chronic speeding behavior .
There is historical context to consider. In the past, some regions fined drivers for surpassing a so called average speed even when that concept was not formally part of the traffic rules. Authorities sometimes placed two cameras on a single road segment to log entry and exit times, using computational methods to derive the average speed. A later ruling by the Attorney General’s Office deemed that practice illegal and prohibited it until new legislation came into effect, signaling the importance of clear, codified rules to govern enforcement practices .
Note: the information above reflects ongoing discussions and official outlines as reported by the parliamentary newspaper. The aim is to balance traffic efficiency with safety while ensuring due process in enforcement actions.