A new "On Road Safety" decree signed into law by Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has banned transgender people and those “with disorders of sexual preference” from driving.

The new legislation is part of a law signed at the end of 2014 that details a number of conditions barring Russian from driving on roads. Among those listed, the restriction includes people with “gender identity disorders, disorders of sexual preference and psychological and behavioural disorders associated with sexual development and orientation.

The decree claims “the decisions are aimed at reducing deaths from road traffic accidents.”

Russia’s Professional Drivers Union has supported the law. Alexander Kotov, a spokesman for the body said: "We have too many deaths on the road, and I believe toughening medical requirements for applicants is fully justified."

Russian lawmakers have cited the ICD-10, the World Health Organisation’s chartered classification of illnesses and disorders, to legitimise their claims.

Human rights organisations in Russia and abroad have widely condemned the move, just the latest in the federal administration’s attack on the country’s LGBT community.

The Association of Russian Lawyers for Human Rights said the new law was discriminatory and “demonstrates bias against certain individuals and groups of citizens, as well as significantly restricting the rights and freedoms of citizens as a whole.”

It also cautioned Russians that “if police get the information about your sexual preferences… people may lose their driver's license.”