The first car on Belarusian roads appeared in 1895; it was bought by the Kovensky district of communications.
The first car accident in Belarus occurred in Minsk on August 20, 1906. Mr. Fyodorov, who had permission to ride of passengers, ran into the telegraph pole on Podgorna Street (now Charles Marx Street). Passengers were thrown out on a pavement; one of them was seriously injured. After that accident, passenger transportation was renewed only in autumn of 1912. On Minsk roads, there were taxi of the Opel, Ford, Darak, Overlend, Oldsmobil, and Mercedes brands.
In 1909, the merchant F.Nekrich from Bobruisk and the honorary townsman of Slutsk, Mr. I.Ettinger, organized “The enterprise of express auto communication”. They had five buses three  of which moved from Slutsk to Old roads and back and two from Slutsk to Lyakhovichi.
The first lorry appeared in Belarus only in 1911; it was bought to the Kantorovich's factory of wall-paper.
Kovensky district of communication repaired and reconstructed of Belarusian roads; in 1901, it was renamed in Vilensky as was moved in Vilno city.
On 11 September 1896, there was a resolution of the Minister of Transport and Communication M.I.Hilkova «About an order and conditions of transportation of weights and passengers on the highway of department of transport and communication by motor vehicles». The resolution included twelve obligatory rules; some of them are:

  • At a meeting with the horse-drawn vehicles, the motor vehicles must decrease their speed and move to roadside in order to not frighten horses;
  • At steep turns, motor vehicles must move slowly and use their horns;
  • Motor vehicles must decrease their speed on down-warded steep hills and at intersections;
  • Drivers of motor vehicles must pay toll if they are going to drive on toll roads;
  • Each driver of a motor vehicle must have an appropriate certificate about working order all parts of the vehicle and confirm that the mechanical engine is working duly and safely.
  • It is not permitted to move on highways to motor vehicles in weight more than 300 poods without special permits.

In the 1920-1930th years, it wasn’t uniform traffic rules for all republics of the Soviet Union; the road traffic laws were developed at regions. On 10 June 1920, the Council of People's Commissars adopted the Decree «About auto movement across Moscow and its vicinities». In many cities of the Soviet republics the contents of the Decree were assumed as a basis traffic regulation. Rules contained:

  • requirements to drivers;
  • existence the driver's documents and waybills;
  • requirements to a vehicle plate;
  • requirements to cars and their registration;
  • rights of using separate types of vehicles.


On 10 September 1931, the Central Administration of Workers' and Peasants' Militia (?????) signed the instruction «About organizing the supervision of performance of traffic regulations». In according of that document, the special departments of street traffic control were created.

On 15 May 1933, «The traffic regulation of motor transport on the USSR roads» was approved.

On 5 November 1934, according to the government resolution «About measures for improvement of a road economy» the Main State automobile inspection was created.

The Belarusian traffic regulation rules were accepted on 27 March 1936. They regulated traffic around Minsk city and included 13 sections and 22 road signs: 3 mandatory signs, 6 warning signs, and 13prohibitory signs.

The first traffic light was placed in Minsk at the intersection of Kirov and Bobruisk streets in 1938.

In the Soviet Union, “The road traffic rules on the streets and roads of the USSR” were created in 1940; they were the basis of road traffic rules which socialist republics began to create.

Standards of road and registration signs were developed only in 1945. The state standard «Signs the road alarm. Classification and specifications» divided road signs into three types:

  • ?) warning about dangerous places (with a yellow field, a black border and the black image) included 4 signs;
  • ?) prohibitory — 14 signs;
  • ?) the mandatory — 8 signs.

The state standard «Number plates for cars, tractors, transport tractors, trailers, and motorcycles» entered the uniform vehicle registration plate – 2 black letters and 4 figures on a yellow background.

The first post-world war II road traffic rules were signed by the Minsk Regional Council of Worker Deputies on May 8, 1946. They regulated road traffic in Minsk city and around it and included 29 sections with 129 paragraphs.

In 1957, new traffic rules were signs in the USSR which were a basis of «Traffic regulations on streets and roads of the Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic», approved by Council of Ministers of Belarus on 12 May1959. Rules contained 100 articles and 2 annexes.

On 1 January 1959, the new state standard, “Number plate for road transport vehicles”, started to work. According to new standard, black figures on a yellow background were replaced with four figures and three letters of white color on a black background.

At the World conference on traffic in Geneva in 1949, the United Nations (United Nations) adopted agreements: «Convention on traffic» and «Protocol on road signs and signals». These documents contain the international requirements to road traffic and International driving permit. The Soviet Union, which included the Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic, joined agreements of the United Nations in August, 1959. On the basis of the international documents, the first uniform traffic regulation on streets and roads of the USSR, approved by the order of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the USSR in January 1960, was developed. On 2 December 2 1960, Council of Ministers of the Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic was accepted the resolution «About introduction in action of the traffic regulation on streets and roads of USSR in the Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic»

In August 1964, Council of ministers of the Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic approved:

  • Rules of registration and the accounting of a car - and motor-transport;
  • the Rule of carrying out technical inspections of cars and motorcycles;
  • the Rule of the accounting of road accidents;
  • the Provision about qualification for drivers of auto- and motor-transport and city electro-transport.

In 1972, the uniform driver license of the USSR was established; five categories – A, B, C, D and E – for different motor vehicles were permitted.  

On January 1, 1974 in Belarus started to work 26 regional and inter-district divisions of the State Traffic Police (GAI) which examined new applicants (drivers), issued driving permits, and registered vehicles.

On 16 July 1986, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the USSR approved new road traffic rules; on 1 January 1987, they joined into force.

On 21 March 1996, the Cabinet of Ministries of the Belarus Republic approved the first national road traffic rules of Republic of Belarus.

On 10 August 2002, the law “About road traffic” joined into force; it contains lawful and organizational foundations of road traffic. On 1 July 2003, the new Belarusian road traffic rules joined into force.

On 28 November 2005, the President of Republic of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko signed the Decree «About measures for increase of traffic safety ». This Decree approved new road traffic rules which came into force on January 1, 2006. From this time, all changes in road traffic rules are affirmed only Decrees of the President of Republic of Belarus.

The decree of the President of Belarus from October 18, 2007 made the some changes in road traffic rules. It permits drivers with certain diseases to not use the seat belts; obligatory to pedestrians to use the light-reflecting elements at night while moving along the road; recommendation to use winter tires.

Next changes in road traffic laws were made by Decrees of the President from 4 December 2008, 23 January 2009, and 17 December 2009. The last Decree permitted to drive vehicles with toning windows.


 Driving in Belarus