On country roads road users tend to drive faster than in the cities. Therefore, the rules for stopping, parking and turning are a bit different. If you are driving along the priority road, parking along this road is usually prohibited (even on the hard shoulder), unless it is an emergency.
The basic rule about parking is that you should not park so that this would endanger others (for example at places where your vehicle would block the view for other road users), or create inconvenience to others (for example if you park in front of someone’s garage entrance).
Stopping (and parking) is prohibited:
- Before, after or at bends
- Before and after the brow of a hill
- At road junctions, or 10 meters before a junction
- At pedestrian crossings or closer that 10 meters to a pedestrian crossing
- At a railway or tram way junctions
- Under the tunnels
- On a bicycle or pedestrian path or on a bicycle lane
- On a lane specialized for public transport
- Alongside a solid line if the distance between your vehicle and the solid line is less than 3 meters
- In front of an entrance to someone’s property blocking the way in or out
- So that any of your wheels is outside allocated parking space
- So that it would obstruct other parked vehicles from driving away
- Closer than 30 meters to a level crossing
You may stop at a bus stop only to pick up or disembark passengers, providing that this does not create inconvenience for the bus driver.
If your car breaks down
If your vehicle breaks down and you have to stop in an emergency, you should stop as far right to the side and further from the carriageway as possible, switch on your hazard warning lights and place the warning triangle at least 50 meters behind your car (if the road you are on permits the speed over 50 km/h). Read more about acting in an emergency situation in the section devoted to Breakdowns and incidents.
Parking signs and supplementary plates
In the city you will often find that parking is regulated with the help of a parking sign together with a supplementary plate. Supplementary plate refers to the parking sign above it and provides details about the times and days when parking is allowed. On a supplementary plate you will find black or white figures that refer to weekdays except a weekday before Sunday or a public holiday (usually Mon-Fri), figures in brackets that refer to weekdays before Sunday and holidays (usually Saturdays), and red figures that refer to Sundays and public holidays.