AZE.US
A fatal accident on the Baku-Sumgayit road has once again brought road safety in Azerbaijan into public focus, especially in cases where a vehicle stops because of a technical malfunction.
The discussion followed the death of the daughter of well-known lawyer Farhad Mehdiyev in a serious traffic accident. According to reports, the crash involved a motorcycle and a car and ended in a fatality.
In Baku and other parts of Azerbaijan, accidents involving stopped or broken-down vehicles are often debated from both a safety and legal responsibility perspective. One of the key questions is whether a driver whose car suddenly breaks down can automatically be considered responsible if another accident follows.
Lawyer Akram Hasanov told Demokrat.az that road culture is directly linked to legal culture.
He said people often complain that laws do not work properly, but the problem is not only about enforcement. In his view, the deeper issue is the low level of legal culture, which means respect for the rights and safety of others.
“We often treat violations of the law as something normal. The same can be seen in road traffic. Both drivers and pedestrians frequently violate traffic rules. People cross roads in prohibited places, ignore requirements and fail to follow safety rules. That is why the high number of road accidents is not accidental. As long as road culture does not improve, these problems will continue,” Hasanov said.
At the same time, the lawyer noted that if a vehicle stops on the road due to a technical malfunction, this alone does not make the driver guilty. Such a situation may happen to any driver and can be considered beyond the driver’s control.
However, in such cases, the driver must immediately turn on the hazard lights, warn other road users and take all possible safety measures.
According to Hasanov, if these steps are taken, it cannot be said that the driver deliberately created a danger. Other drivers and pedestrians must also be attentive and take the situation on the road into account.
“The mere fact that a car is stopped on the road does not automatically make its driver guilty. Responsibility in each traffic accident is determined separately. It is important to understand the circumstances: did the car stop at that moment because of a malfunction, or had it already been standing on the roadside or on the carriageway for some time? Was the vehicle visible? Did other drivers have a chance to see it? All these factors matter,” he said.
Hasanov stressed that a final legal assessment must be based on the specific facts of each case.
For drivers in Baku and across Azerbaijan, the main rule is clear: if a car breaks down on the road, they should not lose time. They must switch on the hazard lights, make the vehicle visible to others and, where possible, move it away from the active traffic lane.
These actions can become crucial if an accident later occurs and investigators have to determine who was responsible.
AZE.US