The incident in Moscow involved a State Duma deputy and automotive questions about responsibility at a busy pedestrian crossing in the city center. After the collision with a courier on a bicycle, attention quickly turned to the actions of the deputy’s driver, including attempts to alter the appearance of the vehicle’s license plates and to remove a flashing beacon from the automobile, later placing those items in the trunk. An automobile lawyer familiar with the Freedom of Choice public movement, speaking with socialbites.ca, noted that manipulating license plate numbers is not itself the determiner of fault, but it may influence how investigators view the case and could amplify the likelihood that the car driver bears responsibility for the accident.
According to the lawyer, there are instructions circulating that address bending plates and disabling or removing flasher lights, but these actions do not relate to traffic law. The crucial question becomes which specific violation contributed to the collision. In typical judicial interpretation, if a driver strikes a cyclist, scooter rider, or pedestrian at a crosswalk, the driver is commonly found at fault. The expert emphasized that while it is possible to consider that the cyclist might bear some responsibility, the default tendency in such cases favors the driver’s liability when a crosswalk is involved.
Radko pointed out that road rules require a cyclist to dismount at a pedestrian crossing. Yet this rule does not automatically shield a driver from accountability should danger arise in this area. The expert highlighted an interesting investigative angle: if the cyclist were moving at walking speed, roughly 4 to 5 kilometers per hour, a driver would have a clearer chance to react in time. With a bike in motion, the perceived danger can be greater, potentially testing the driver’s ability to avoid a collision. Regardless, the situation occurred on a pedestrian crossing, making careful driving essential. The conclusion drawn is that the driver bore responsibility for not yielding, and failing to yield does not absolve liability even if the cyclist had a foot traffic alternative or changed speed.
In related remarks, Sergei Mironov, who had been in the passenger seat at the moment of impact, explained that he did not witness the collision as he was handling documents at the time. He described the sequence of events immediately after the crash: the driver halted, checked on the cyclist, and confirmed that the cyclist was alive but injured. Mironov stated that he immediately asked for medical assistance and traffic police to be summoned, and the transport team and first responders were soon on the scene. These statements reflect the typical procedure of ensuring medical care and securing the scene while investigators document the incident for a formal review.