Transport security of the modern state as a socio-legal phenomenon

Introduction. The article is devoted to the issues concerning transport security – a complex socio-juridical formation, an element of national security of the state. Awareness of the determinacy of transport security by the political influence of the state in the international sphere contributed to the recognition of the development of transport infrastructure and its improvement as a national priority of the state. The historiographical analysis of the research subject reveals a number of scientific researches, which highlighted certain aspects of the formation of the idea of transport security and its implementation. However, transport security of the modern state as a socio-legal phenomenon remains uncharacterised. Methods. The research is based on the principles of comprehensive study of legal processes and phenomena, the integrity of theory and practice. The main methodological approaches were systemic and value-based ones. In the course of the research methods of periodisation, retrospective analysis, functional, formal-legal methods, method of content analysis of legal acts were used. An important role belonged to the sociological method, which made it possible, through the questionnaire surveys conducted by the author of the article, to determine the specifics of the subject composition of the transport security system and the peculiarities of law enforcement practice in the field of transport security in the Russian Federation. Results. The degree of development in legal science of questions concerning transport security is revealed; in the context of ideas about the modern state the content of the concept of “transport security” is specified; transport security and its maintenance are characterised as systems; internal affairs bodies are described as a subject of its ensuring; on the basis of independently conducted sociological researches the features of application of legal norms in the sphere of ensuring transport security are determined.