Article 24. Main Duties of Owners and Drivers of Vehicles

1. The owner of a vehicle is obliged to ensure the technically serviceable condition of the vehicle, in accordance with the conditions permitting the operation of the vehicle and the list of malfunctions and conditions prohibiting its operation.

2. The driver of a vehicle is obliged:

a) before commencing movement, to verify:

1. the facts that the vehicle has undergone technical inspection and has not been illegally re-equipped;

2. the serviceability of the brake system, steering control, headlamps and rear dimension lights (in the hours of darkness, in conditions of insufficient visibility) or of the windscreen wiper in front of the driver (during rain or snowfall), and of the coupling device (as part of a road train), as well as the compliance of the remaining tread depth of the tires with the established standards. The said requirement also applies to the driver of the vehicle during movement;

b) at the request of a police officer:

1. in cases established by law, not to obstruct police officers from inspecting the vehicle and the cargo in the presence of the driver and citizens (the inspection of military vehicles is carried out with the participation of a representative of the relevant body);

2. in the presence of sufficient grounds for being in a state of intoxication, to undergo the relevant examination for the determination of the state of sobriety (the state of sobriety of drivers of military vehicles is determined in the presence of a representative of the relevant body);

c) for the purpose of providing assistance, to make the vehicle available:

1. to police officers, for the transport of persons requiring urgent medical assistance to a medical establishment;

2. to medical workers proceeding in the same direction in order to provide medical assistance (with the consent of the driver);

3. to police officers, in the cases and in the manner established by the legislation of the Republic of Armenia;

d) in case of involvement in a road traffic accident, to immediately stop and/or not move the vehicle, switch on the hazard warning lights, place the "Emergency stop" warning sign, not move the objects associated with the accident—and, where present, the bodies—not change the position of the vehicles involved in the road traffic accident relative to each other and to the objects of the road infrastructure, not damage or alter the traces, and thereafter act in accordance with the requirements of the rules established by parts 4 and 4.1 of this Article. For the purpose of ensuring post-accident safety at the scene of a road traffic accident, the hazard warning lights of vehicles stopped immediately near the scene for assistance must also be switched on.

3. In the cases provided for in sub-point 1 of point "c" of part 2 of this Article, where the driver does not voluntarily make the vehicle available, the police officer is authorized to remove the driver from operating the vehicle and to use the vehicle. The said requirement does not apply to drivers of vehicles belonging to operational services, diplomatic and consular missions, representations of foreign States, international organizations, and disabled persons.

Police officers may remove drivers of vehicles from operating them also in other cases established by law.

4. If, as a result of a road traffic accident, persons have died or been injured, the driver involved in the road traffic accident is obliged:

1. to take the necessary measures to provide first aid to the injured persons, to call the "Emergency Medical Service" or another specialized service, and to report the road traffic accident to the police;

2. in extreme cases, to send the injured persons by a vehicle proceeding in the same direction, and if this is impossible, to transport them by their own vehicle to the nearest medical organization, to provide there their name, surname, registration plate of the vehicle (by presenting an identity document or driving license and the registration document of the vehicle), and to return to the scene of the accident;

3. to take all possible lawful measures to organize the detour of the scene of the accident by other road traffic participants;

4. to await the arrival of police officers or officers of another competent body, and thereafter act in accordance with their instructions.

4.1. If only property damage has been caused as a result of the road traffic accident, and if the circumstances of causing the injuries connected with the property damage as a result of the road traffic accident, the nature and list of visible damage to the vehicles, between the participants of the road traffic accident:

1. give rise to disagreements, or do not give rise to disagreements but the characteristics of the road traffic accident (the number of vehicles involved in the accident and/or the expected amount of compensation) do not correspond to the conditions presented for the process of compensation of damage to the injured persons by means of completing the agreed declaration provided for by the Law of the Republic of Armenia "On Compulsory Insurance of Liability Arising from the Use of Motor Vehicles", then the driver involved in the road traffic accident is obliged to report what has happened to the police, to await the arrival of officers of the police or other competent body, and, until the arrival of officers of the police or other competent body, to take all possible lawful measures to organize the detour of the scene of the accident by other road traffic participants, and after the arrival at the scene of the accident of officers of the police or other competent body, to act in accordance with their instructions (directions), participating in the actions connected with the recording of the accident and the conduct of the necessary examinations;

2. do not give rise to disagreements, then the drivers involved in the road traffic accident are not obliged to report what has happened to the police and may:

a. independently draw up the documents concerning the road traffic accident in accordance with the conditions presented for the process of compensation of damage to the injured persons by means of completing the agreed declaration provided for by the Law of the Republic of Armenia "On Compulsory Insurance of Liability Arising from the Use of Motor Vehicles", and leave the scene of the accident, if the characteristics of the road traffic accident (the number of vehicles involved in the accident and/or the expected amount of compensation) correspond to the conditions presented for the process of compensation of damage to the injured persons by means of completing the agreed declaration provided for by the Law of the Republic of Armenia "On Compulsory Insurance of Liability Arising from the Use of Motor Vehicles",

b. not draw up documents concerning the road traffic accident, if only the vehicles of its participants or other property have been damaged as a result of the road traffic accident, and no participant has the wish to draw up the said documents and/or to bring claims against one another (including through insurance companies).

4.2. In the cases provided for in sub-points "a" and "b" of point 2 of part 4.1 of this Article, where drivers subsequently submit an application or report concerning the said accident to the police, no proceedings shall be conducted, and the application or report shall be left without consequence.

4.3. In the cases provided for in point 1 of part 4.1 of this Article, the police, while ensuring road traffic safety at the scene of the road traffic accident, collect data on the participants of the road traffic accident, their vehicles and the circumstances of the accident, drawing up records concerning the accident and concerning the initial technical data of the circumstances of the accident, recording (including by means of photography or video recording) the position of the vehicles involved in the road traffic accident relative to each other and to the objects of the road infrastructure, the traces, the objects, the damage to the vehicles or to other property. The record concerning the initial technical data of the circumstances of the accident may not be drawn up if the road traffic accident occurred during the daytime in the daylight hours, in conditions of sufficient visibility, and there is a video recording of the moment of its occurrence and of the actions of the participants of the accident immediately following it. The records concerning the accident and concerning the initial technical data of the circumstances of the accident, as well as any document, information, video, photograph or other material related to the given road traffic accident, may be provided (made available) by any means to the Bureau of Motor Insurers of Armenia and/or to its member insurance companies and/or to third parties for the purposes of regulating the compensation process conducted in respect of the road traffic accident, including the conduct of expert examinations and other necessary actions in the sphere of MTPL. The form of the record concerning the accident and the information contained therein, as well as the requirements for the composition and structure of the initial technical data of the circumstances of the accident, shall be approved by the Head of Police in agreement with the Central Bank of the Republic of Armenia.

4.4. Where the drivers involved in a road traffic accident exercise either of the options provided for in subparagraphs “a” and “b” of point 2 of part 4.1 of this Article, they must, in an accident involving only two motor vehicles, leave the scene of the accident within twenty minutes of the accident and move the motor vehicle to another location where parking is not prohibited by law, provided that the motor vehicle has not sustained a technical defect as a result of the accident that prohibits its operation.

5. The driver of a motor vehicle, as well as of a tram, in addition to that indicated in part 2 of this Article, is obliged:

a) to have with them and to present for inspection at the request of police officers, as well as of other persons authorized in the manner established by law for the regulation of road traffic:

1) the driving license for driving a vehicle of the given category or subcategory (or a temporary driving license or permit for driving a vehicle, together with an identity document), and in the cases specified therein, also the medical certificate;
2) the registration documents of the vehicle;
4) other documents provided for by the legislation for the transport of passengers and cargo (permit for the transport of heavy, oversized and dangerous goods, etc.);

b) when traveling in vehicles equipped with seat belts provided for by the design, to be fastened with the seat belt and not to transport passengers not fastened with seat belts. It is permitted not to fasten with belts children under 12 years of age (with the exception of cases where fastening is mandatory under the legislation), as well as the person teaching to drive the vehicle when it is driven by the learner, and, additionally, in built-up areas, the drivers and passengers of operational services and of motor vehicles bearing color-graphic markings on the body;
c) when traveling on a motorcycle, as well as when traveling on the carriageway by moped or bicycle, to wear a fastened helmet and not to transport passengers wearing unfastened helmets.

6. The driver of a motor vehicle participating in international road traffic is obliged:

a) to have with them a driving license complying with the requirements applicable to documents provided for international road traffic, the registration certificate of the vehicle, and, where international treaties have been concluded by the Republic of Armenia with other States, also other documents;
b) to have on the vehicle registration plates with Latin letters and Arabic numerals and the distinguishing sign of the country in which the vehicle is registered.

7. The driver is prohibited:

a) to drive a vehicle in a state of intoxication;

b) to entrust the operation of a vehicle to persons in a state of intoxication or to persons who do not have with them a driving license for driving a vehicle of the given category;

c) to leave their seat or to leave the vehicle if they have not taken all the necessary measures that exclude the spontaneous movement of the vehicle or its use during their absence;

d) to open the doors of the vehicle during movement;

e) to open the doors of the vehicle even when stopped, if this will obstruct other road traffic participants;

f) to use radio communication and telephone communication during movement, if they are not equipped with hands-free devices for using such communication (with the exception of drivers of vehicles of operational services performing official tasks), or to smoke during movement;

g) to throw out things and objects from the vehicle;

h) to consume alcoholic beverages, psychotropic substances or other consciousness-impairing substances after a road traffic accident in which they were involved, or after the vehicle has been stopped by a police officer, until the conduct of an examination for the state of sobriety or until the adoption of a decision releasing them from the conduct of such examination.