Azerbaijani experts: Traffic police's chasing drivers can be life-threatening

"The Law on Police and the internal police instructions do not give a state traffic police officer a right to chase a car. Pursuing a car can be life threathening for a driver and pedestrians," Former Police Chief Mahmud Hajiyev said.

Hajiyev believes that if a driver commits a traffic violation, does not obey police, the type of the car, state number and details of the driver are fixed, and then the driver must be called by the police and be punished in an appropriate manner.

"Several years ago, while pursuing a car, a severe traffic accident occurred, killing two young men. During the investigation, it was proved that the accident occurred precisely because of chasing by traffic police," he added.

Hajiyev said only in exceptional cases, the traffic police are given a right to pursue a car.

"If the police have made sure that the car carries a weapon, drugs, wanted people, or criminals, it may pursue it," Hajiyev noted.

Hajiyev considers it important to punish police officers who committ such illegal acts, and to report to the public.

Hajiyev believes if these data becomes available to the public, cases of illegal chasing of cars and also the traffic accidents will reduce to a great degree.

Psychologist Azad Isazade says a traffic police officers can render those drivers harmless by reporting on violations of traffic rules on the radio to the front.

Isazade also spoke about the psychological aspects of the problem, adding that most cases of ignoring law are characteristic of young people.

"Mostly young people do not obey the orders of the police. They like to take risks. Young people love extreme situation, they are disobedient. When the police pursue them, they enjoy running away from police and then boast that "heroism" he said.

Isazade considers it important to pay attention to this factor and believes that it is possible to neutralize drivers by other means not in pursuing them.

"I believe that the pursuing of cars inside the city (except in exceptional cases) is unacceptable as it creates an emergency situation. This can cause a traffic accident and may pose a danger for others," Isazade added.

Head of Public Relations Department of Chief State Traffic Police Department of the Republic Kamran Aliyev said that the law has given traffic police officers the right to pursue a car.

Aliyev said that according to the latest additions and changes to the law "On rules of the road", when a driver volates traffic rules the police is instructed to stop it.

The driver is required to stop the car if a vehicle is wanted and if there is accurate information about a crime or suspicion of committing the crime by driver or passenger with him.

Aliyev said according to the law, if a person who fails to comply with the requirement and creates a real danger to human life and health with its actions the vehicle may be pursued with observance of safety regulations and informing chief officer of the executive body by means of radio.

"If there is no other way to stop such vehicles then coercive stop means can be used for this purpose," Aliyev said.

According to him, the requirement to stop the vehicle should be made by giving the sign of whistle and a baton or by using an amplifier in the way that a person who drives the vehicle can clearly see or hear it.

Aliyev said in the case of non-fulfillment of requirements to stop the vehicle, information is transmitted to other officers of traffic police through the radio, and it becomes clear that the registration mark does not belong to this car.

"A person, who drives a car uses a different registration mark and does not obey the police. Traffic officer sees that the person who drives this car creates danger for other road users. In this case, the car must be pursued in compliance with safety measures," Aliyev said.

Chief State Traffic Police Department's official doesn't agree with the opinion on groundlessness of pursuing a vehicle.

He said that there is no need to pursue the car for a simple violation of the rules, and there are no such cases.

"If a driver doesn't fulfill the demand to stop a vehicle, a radio message is sent to other members of the executive authority with the time, place, kind of the violation, brand, color, direction, state registration number and other important characteristics of the vehicle and then a corresponding report in writing form," Aliyev said.

He said, in the case of a real danger during violation of traffic rules, the vehicle must be pursued and all coercive stop means can be used to stop the vehicle.

"The next street can be blocked for this purpose. A person driving the car may be drunk or may be under the influence of drugs. And this is the real source of danger," Aliyev noted.


/Trend/