The Russian government has introduced an amendment to traffic regulations requiring drivers of all vehicles to have their headlights switched regardless of when or where they are driving.
The relevant decree, which aims to reduce a number of traffic accidents in the country, was signed by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on May 10 and will come into force six months after it is published.
Previously, drivers were obliged to have their low beams switched on in daytime only while driving outside city limits.
Putin also signed on May 10 another amendment that says a driver "must slow down or stop before a pedestrian crossing" without a traffic light to allow a pedestrian to cross, rather than simply obliging the driver to give way to the pedestrian.
According to government statistics, 26,084 people died on Russia's roads last year, a 12.9% decrease on 2008.
Last year, President Dmitry Medvedev blamed the carnage on the poor state of the country's roads, as well as a "lack of discipline, and the criminal negligence of drivers."
MOSCOW, May 14 (RIA Novosti)
