There are more and more different means of transportation on the streets of cities in the Republic of Armenia, but unfortunately the culture of drivers on the road is not improving and therefore almost every day there are hundreds of accidents in the Republic of Armenia.

Any driver should know all the subtleties of legal behavior in an accident, because the driver, being in this situation, is in a state of shock and can not act in a clear algorithm of action, which may lead to more dire consequences.

In practice, when drivers get in an accident in Armenia, first of all they call the State Automobile Inspectorate (GAI).

It is necessary to find out whether the Armenian legislation requires the mandatory presence of GAI employees at the scene of the accident.

Most Armenian citizens believe that traffic police officers are an indispensable “element” of a road accident. According to the RA Legislation, it is not always an obligatory factor.

According to the Traffic Rules of the Republic of Armenia, if there is a mutual agreement between the colliding drivers to assess the circumstances of the accident, they can arrive at the nearest post of the State Automobile Inspection (GAI) to draw up the relevant materials, pre-compiling the scheme of the accident and putting their signatures under it or agree on place without calling GAI officers.

However, the Armenian legislation allows resorting to such actions without the traffic police officers only if there are no victims in the accident and no material damage is done by the drivers to the third parties and the vehicles can move safely without any doubts.

As practice shows, rarely do two drivers, especially if there are more of them, come to a consensus on the details of the accident, the circumstances and the order. If they reach a consensus, to save time they resolve their financial claims “at the place of the accident” and do not go to the traffic police.

Traffic Rules of the Republic of Armenia establish certain obligations for drivers in case of a road accident.

Chapter 5 of the RA Law “On Road Safety” is dedicated to the rights and obligations of road users.

Article 23 Part 3 of the Law stipulates that every driver is obligated to abide by the legislation on ensuring road safety, in particular to comply with the requirements of traffic lights, alarms, speeding, overtaking and other regulations.

But if you happen to get in an accident, then you must first of all immediately stop the vehicle and stay at the scene, then turn on the alarm system.

It is categorically forbidden as a result of the accident to move the vehicle and objects related to the accident without registration of the relevant materials and the scheme of the accident.

If as a result of the accident there are victims, road users are obliged to take all possible measures to provide first aid to the injured, to call the ambulance at 103.

According to Article 23 of the RA Law “On Road Safety”, road users have the right to get free medical, rescue and other first aid in case of a traffic accident.

In a situation when there is no possibility to call an ambulance brigade, the participant of the road traffic accident should drive the injured by his/her own vehicle to the nearest medical institution of Armenia, having preliminary fixed the location of traces of the accident, as well as the position of the vehicle after its stoppage.

When traffic police officers arrive at the scene of the accident, they are obliged to draw up a protocol of an administrative offence.

If you are innocent of the accident, you should be interested in the presence of witnesses, who will play an important role in the consideration of the case of an administrative offense in court. Therefore, we advise you to actively write down their name and phone number, because later you may need their help in the form of testimony in the judicial body of the Republic of Armenia.

Based on the contents of the Armenian legislation, any person has the right to testify if he or she has information about the accident.

Participants of a road accident have the right to receive a copy of the scheme and photos of the accident scene if they submit a written application to the traffic police.  Especially since you need a certificate of the accident to submit to the insurance company.

The Most important evidence, which can play a decisive role during the consideration of the case in court, is the scheme of the accident and explanations of the participants. Any little fact can cause an accident, but accident officials do not like to include them in the scheme, despite the fact that it is very important that the documents include information about every significant circumstance. For example, information about weather conditions and road conditions. In your written explanations, try to be as clear and concise as possible in laying out the circumstances of the accident, it will only play into your hands.

In case you have become the culprit of the accident, we advise to specify in the written explanations of any extenuating circumstances. For example, the absence of markings, limited visibility, the presence of potholes, gravel, etc.

If you have committed a violation for which an administrative penalty in the form of deprivation of the right to drive can be imposed, the traffic police officers have the right to seize the driver’s license on a temporary basis until the entry into force of the court decision on the case of the accident in question. However, it does not mean that they restrict your right to drive, because they must give you a temporary permit to drive vehicles for a certain period. This permit does not establish any restrictions on the territory of Armenia.

Try to act according to the right algorithm, because it will provide you a good prospect of protecting your rights and interests both in pre-trial procedure and in court.

We hope that reading this article will help you effectively protect your rights and interests in such an unpleasant situation as a traffic accident. If as a result of a road accident, there are serious consequences such as damage to life and health of the person․