The Principle of Legal Certainty in Wording and Interpretation of Criminal Law Prohibitions in Violation of Traffic Rules

The principle of legal certainty includes numerous requirements that ensure that criminal law and its application comply with the requirements of the rule of law and legality. One of these requirements is maximum certainty, according to which the norms of criminal law must be worded clearly and precisely in order to make criminal law understandable and predictable to citizens. The author draws attention to the fact that the synchronization of criminal law and technological innovations is justified by the needs of society. The legislative authority is obliged to monitor technological changes, in particular the development of vehicles, in order to regulate legal relations in the field of road safety in a timely and effective manner. Without constant monitoring and analysis of the effects of new technologies, the criminal law will inevitably lag behind reality, which will lead to gaps in legal regulation and situations where acts that pose a public danger will not be covered by current legislation. The ambiguity of the law undermines the authority of the state and poses a threat to the safety of road users. Conclusions are drawn regarding the practical significance of the principle of legal certainty and the insufficient effectiveness of criminal law norms in the field of road safety. The paper argues for the necessity of eliminating the gap in criminal law by classifying personal mobility devices as objects of motor vehicle crimes. It substantiates the need to amend Article 264.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation by adding a note, namely in the context of the certainty of the criminal law prohibition. Proposals have been formulated to change the disposition of this rule of criminal law.

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