Lifetime ban for drunk drivers

2nd July 2010

© PD Under new laws, courts will have more power over drink drivers Share:

New laws that came into force this week mean that drunk drivers may lose their licences for good if caught.

The ruling gives the courts power to strip the licence from any driver who causes an accident, which results in death or serious injury, while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

Drivers who flee from the scene of an accident while drunk may also be hit by the life-long ban.
However, the laws are not cast-iron and the courts will have the right to reduce penalties in certain circumstances.

“The changes are very general and are not defined by any specific examples,” explains judge Danuta Tannenberg of the District Court in Pruszkow.

“Factors such as how much the other party contributed to the accident and alcohol levels can be taken into account. For example, there are cases where the offender is so intoxicated that they are not able to coordinate their movements or control their vehicle and there are also cases where a driver is over the limit, but their alcohol intake has no bearing on the accident. In the second case, the courts may reduce the levels of punishment.”

But while the new laws are a step in the right direction, Marek Konkolewski of the Bureau of Traffic Police states that the problem will not disappear overnight. “I am a realist. Changing the law is not an antidote to the whole problem.”

Around 190,000 drunk drivers are caught every year in Poland and in 2009 a total of 3,007 accidents were caused by those over the limit, resulting in the death of 333 people. But figures are dropping - last year saw 15 percent less reported cases than in 2008.