The pro-Kremlin A Just Russia party on Wednesday proposed legislation that would limit the use of flashing blue lights to cars carrying the president and prime minister, and to emergency services vehicles.
Flashing blue lights, known in Russia as "migalki," are a symbol of the privileges afforded to Russian bureaucrats, who use the lights to speed around Moscow's ubiquitous traffic jams that regular drivers spend hours sitting in.
"At the moment, this issue is under the government's control and is being improperly supervised, causing constant indignation among nearly all road users," A Just Russia said in a statement.
Around 1,000 cars in Moscow are equipped with flashing blue lights.
A Just Russia proposes installing "special audiovisual signals" on cars transporting the president and prime minister, as well as on emergency services vehicles.
The party said the abuse of blue lights poses a serious threat to road safety. There have been several high-profile road accidents involving VIP vehicles in Russia in recent years.
Two women were killed last February when their car collided head-on with a Mercedes equipped with migalki belonging to Anatoly Barkov, the vice-president of Russian oil giant LUKoil. No charges were brought despite evidence that the executive's car pulled into the oncoming lane.
In January, a woman was seriously injured after her car collided with Russian presidential envoy Garry Minkh's chauffeured BMW.
MOSCOW, May 25 (RIA Novosti)
