In Chechnya, law enforcers start fighting with special car signalling devices

Power agents of the Chechen Republic are carrying out large-scale actions against drivers illegally using special signals. Local drivers believe that, as before, the campaign will bring little fruit.

The operation called "Special signal" is conducted by GIBDD (or STSI - State traffic Safety Inspectorate) inspectors and other subdivisions of the Chechen MIA (Ministry of Internal Affairs). The main aim of the campaign is to identify the vehicles, whose owners use special signals without due rights. A spokesman of the MIA said that drivers complain that there are too many vehicles with special signals in streets of Chechen cities and settlements, and that the owners of the so-called "quackers" are main violators of traffic rules.

Meanwhile, many motorists express serious doubts that the fight with special signals will bring any results. "We have these 'quackers' installed on every other car. Especially owners of jeeps and Lada Priora cars like to install special signals. They are rushing along streets at high speeds, break the rules here and there and use their special signals all the time. And most importantly - nobody stops them, because traffic cops are just afraid to tackle with them," said Saikhan K., a local resident.

According to another local resident, a driver of a first aid ambulance, the presence of a huge number of cars with special signals in the republic creates serious problems in their work. "When it comes to driving to an emergency call, I naturally use my special signal, but many car drivers simply ignore it. Of course, I can understand them, because there are so many cars with 'quackers' around that many drivers simply ignore all such cars, including mine. If the GIBDD manages to put things in order in this aspect, everyone will be grateful to them," said Usman S.

Local motorists note that GIBDD inspectors almost never stop black jeeps, expensive foreign-made cars, Lada Prioras and other cars with tinted glasses with number plates starting with the letters "KRA" (abridged from Kadyrov, Ramzan Akhmatovich; such number plates are issued to Kadyrov's securities and his close officials, - note of the "Caucasian Knot"), especially if they are equipped with the notorious "quackers". According to many persons, special signals are especially popular among the natives of Tsentoroy (Khosi-Yurt) - the family village of the head of Chechnya, as well as relatives and friends of top officials and ministers.

"Ramzan (Kadyrov) looks like demanding from his traffic inspectors to punish all infringers without exclusion; however, in reality nobody wants to have problems with his fellow villagers, or anyone else, who is backed up by bosses or power agents. The problem can be solved by tough measures only: by punishing not only the offender, but also those who will try to defend them; by removing all the 'friendly' number plates; and generally - by obeying the law. However, unfortunately, this is unlikely in our republic, especially at the existing impunity and permissiveness of certain categories of citizens and power agents," said an activist of a local NGO.

He added that witnessed more than once that at road accidents GIBDD inspectors consistently supported the owners of "KRA" cars and of expensive foreign-made cars, even if they were to blame for the accident. The same things happen when a power agent is a guilty party in a road accident.