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The Ministry for the Interior wants to amend the Road Code so as to limit cyclists’ speed to 30 km/h and to fine pedestrians who use their mobile phones while crossing the street, saying that “thrilling phone calls” distract pedestrians.
The Ministry has launched for public consultations a Draft Government Decision for amending and supplementing the Regulation implementing the Road Code.
Among the main changes is the prohibition of activities that distract pedestrians when crossing the street, namely the use of mobile phones.
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The ministry motivates the changes to the rules for pedestrians by the fact that they no longer assure themselves when crossing the street and are not being careful before and during the crossing, as shown in the supporting notes.
“Pedestrians carry out activities that are distracting, such as using their mobile phones. Using your mobile phone, whether you are talking or writing messages (mental distractions), listening to music (auditory distraction), or accessing various navigation applications such as maps (visual distraction), influences the pedestrian’s ability to pay attention when engaging in crossing the public roads,” according to the document.
Moreover, the Ministry for the Interior talks about “thrilling conversations” that distract the pedestrian.” Distractions at the mental (cognitive) level are the most common, since, for example, a telephone conversation can be thrilling, so the attention is channeled to this activity, and the pedestrian walks practically mechanically, without realizing the actual place of crossing,” the Ministry points out in the supporting note.
Pedestrians who do not comply with this new rule will receive between 2 and 3 demerit points fine, i.e. a minimum of 145 lei if payment is made within 15 calendar days.
The project also includes a proposal for clean, electric cars to be distinguished in traffic and to be given a priority regime at charging points for electric cars; their visibility in traffic will be enhanced through changes to the registration plates: “the registration plates must have a white reflective background and the letters and figures, embossed, black, blue, green or red”.
Finally, the ministry wants to impose a speed limit for cyclists at 30 km/h (n.r., without offering specifics on how the law will be respected or enforced, and how violations will be proven). “Bicycle riders are prohibited from traveling at a speed of more than 30 km/h,” according to the project.
According to the 2020 Traffic Policing statistics, accidents involving cyclists rank third in a top of main causes of road accidents after pedestrian indiscipline and inadequate speed (n.r., 124 cyclists died last year, compared to 116 in 2019).
The draft amendment to the Road Code is under public debate until the beginning of May. The last significant change to the Road Code was in the fall of 2019 when more severe penalties were introduced for the use of mobile phones at the wheel.
According to traffic police statistics, 1,644 people lost their lives in traffic accidents in the prior year, 12% less than in 2019 last year.