Vehicles will likely be confiscated from drink drivers below new regulations authorized through Poland’s parliament and waiting for the president’s signature.
Any individual stuck with 0.15% of alcohol of their blood or any individual who reasons an coincidence with a minimum of 0.05% of alcohol of their blood could have their car transferred to the possession of the state. Beneath Polish regulation, the drink-driving restrict is 0.02% of alcohol within the blood.
If a drink driving force’s automobile is destroyed in an coincidence, or if it does no longer belong to them, they are going to must pay a effective similar to the price of the car.
The regulation supplies for an exception for pro drivers riding an employer’s car. Of their case, the courtroom will order a effective of a minimum of 5,000 zloty payable to the Fund for Sufferers’ Help and Publish-Detention center Help. Non-mechanical cars, as an example bicycles, is probably not confiscated both.
Konfiskata samochodów pijanym kierowcom w Polsce ostatecznie przegłosowana. Wejdzie w życie w listopadzie 2023
— Janusz Piechociński (@Piechocinski) November 23, 2022
The brand new measures are amongst numerous contemporary steps taken to reinforce protection in Poland, which has one of the crucial EU’s very best charges of highway deaths.
On the other hand, the proposal, which used to be put ahead through the justice ministry, has been criticised through the opposition, which argued that it targeted solely on repressive measures somewhat than different sorts of punishment and that it got rid of from judges the facility to select a punishment suitable to the case.
The higher residence of parliament, the Senate, the place the opposition has a majority, rejected invoice. However that call used to be overturned through the federal government’s majority within the extra tough lower-house Sejm. If signed through President Andrzej Duda, a central authority best friend, it is going to input into drive inside 3 months.
Polish PM proposes making drink drivers pay repayment to households of sufferers
Poland has one of the crucial EU’s strictest drink-drive limits, with maximum international locations permitting as much as 0.05% of alcohol within the blood. 4 international locations – the Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia – have an absolute ban on alcohol for drivers.
Police information display that the choice of injuries in Poland involving under the influence of alcohol highway customers (drivers, cyclists and pedestrians), in addition to the choice of highway injuries total, has been progressively lowering lately.
In 2021, highway customers drunk had been desirous about 2,488 highway injuries (10.9% of overall injuries), 331 other folks had been killed (14.7% of overall fatalities), and a pair of,805 other folks had been injured (10.6% of the entire choice of injured), consistent with the police information.
By way of comparability, in 2012, visitors individuals drunk had been desirous about 4,467 highway injuries (12.1%% of overall injuries), 584 other folks had been killed (16.4% of overall fatalities), and 5,305 other folks had been injured (11.6% of the entire choice of injured).
Collection of visitors injuries involving highway customers drunk in 2012-2021 (supply: Polish police)
In the meantime, a 2021 file through the Ecu Fee discovered that the proportion of other folks with alcohol focus ranges above the criminal restrict amongst randomly checked drivers in Poland in 2019 used to be one of the crucial lowest within the 12 Ecu international locations surveyed and considerably less than in 2010.
Supply: Ecu Fee, Prevention of riding drunk and medication
However, lately, Polish society has been shaken through high-profile injuries involving drink drivers, that have ended in requires more difficult regulations, together with an offer to make drink drivers pay repayment to households of sufferers.
A file through the Ideally suited Audit Place of business (NIK) discovered that during 2019 Poland lead the EU in relation to the share of deadly injuries, with 9.6 loss of life according to 100 injuries.
The authority additionally identified that the choice of drivers below the affect of substances, which isn’t incorporated within the police and Ecu Fee statistics, has higher greater than fivefold since 2011.
Major picture credit score: energepic.com / Pexels.com
Alicja Ptak is senior editor at Notes from Poland and a multimedia journalist. She in the past labored for Reuters.
