Traffic obstruction
A traffic obstruction is the obstacle or the impairment of a road user from getting ahead.
Road traffic
Traffic obstructions always represent an accident risk because they change the regular flow of traffic . Circumstances such as road construction, road renovation and maintenance , traffic accidents and vehicle breakdowns , events or meetings, loading activities or special transports , as well as traffic jams, bad weather and disasters can lead to a traffic obstruction. Then the road user or the person responsible (road administration, road maintenance, as well as the polluter in general) has to ensure that the obstruction does not endanger other road users. This includes:
- the safeguarding of the danger point where the obstruction occurs (by putting into operation the hazard warning lights, breakdown triangle , warning lights , setting up pylons and beacons , advance warning devices , road barriers and roadblocks and the like)
- the regulation of traffic by appointed organs (police, military police, transport escort, security service, etc.)
- as well as the earliest possible removal of the source of traffic obstruction (pushing away or towing an inoperable vehicle, clearing the traffic route at the end of the event, speedy handling of a loading or construction activity, etc.)
In addition, however, there are negligent and deliberate traffic obstructions , which represent impermissible behavior in terms of national road traffic regulations. You are penitential or punitive capable, especially in cases of gross negligence or mischief . Then the above-mentioned measures are ultimately the responsibility of the police, for example traffic obstruction by vehicles can result in the vehicle being towed away immediately, or events can be interrupted or ended immediately.
Examples of irregular traffic obstructions:
- Visibility of the flowing traffic is impaired by a truck parked in front of an intersection
- A cyclist drives through the pedestrian zone
- Young people press the pedestrian traffic lights just for fun
- An automobile blocks two lanes because the driver wants to turn into the lane in the opposite direction.
In a broader sense, obstacles such as lost cargo, lost vehicle parts, and parts brought onto the road out of malice are also an obstacle - or even a hazard - to traffic.
Legal situation in Germany
In German road traffic , a traffic obstruction usually constitutes a traffic offense according to § 1 StVO .
Classification and increases: German traffic law distinguishes between
- a more than unavoidable nuisance
- a disability
- a hazard
- damage (traffic accident, causing an accident, dangerous interference in road traffic , etc.)
other road users. As a rule, traffic obstructions can also constitute a traffic offense.
Shipping
In ship traffic , traffic obstruction is also referred to as impairing the ease of traffic. In this case, watercraft that are unable to maneuver or that are impaired to maneuver may be located in a body of water in which shipping traffic takes place (e.g. traffic separation areas ).
