Owners of cars with missing parts or cars abandoned in residential courtyards will now pay fines until they remove their vehicles from ‘permanent parking.’
The amended Code of Administrative Offences recently published on the official website of the Russian Justice Ministry contains new Article 16.10 in the section on violations of landscaping requirements by vehicles.
It should be noted that a fine between RUR 1K and RUR 3K ($15 to $44) is not the only but the most extreme penalty. First-time offenders may be simply subject to a warning.
The important nuance of this new measure is the fact that the Administrative Code article clearly defines cars that will be considered dismantled. According to the definition, a dismantled car is a car that is missing at least one bodypart, not necessarily a large one such as a hood, a trunk lid, a door or a fender. A missing tank cap may also result in a fine. Although perhaps in this case a warning would actually be enough.
Similar legislative acts have been in force at the regional level for quite a long time. Otherwise many residential courtyards in district centers would be overwhelmed with abandoned vehicles.
The amended Code of Administrative Offences has not been submitted for approval to the State Duma (Russia’s lower house of parliament) but once it is passed, the problem will be dealt with at the federal level.
In addition to the fines for abandoned cars, Article 16.10 also includes sanctions for other acts that are, unfortunately, quite common among irresponsible car owners.
Those who wash their cars in a residential courtyard will have to pay between RUR 1K and RUR 3K ($15 to $44) for the improvised car wash. Parking on a lawn is more expensive, between RUR 1K and RUR 4K ($15 to $59). Stopping, parking and driving across a children’s playground or a sports ground in a courtyard will lead to a fine of RUR 2K to RUR 5K ($29 to $73).