Drunk drivers and lawless. How the traffic police fights the problem and what threatens violators

Alexander Voiteshko First Deputy HEAD of the Main Department of the Traffic Police of the Ministry of Internal Affairs - Head of the Supervisory and Registration and Examination Activities Department

Drunk drivers and lawless people are the category of road users who pose a danger not only to themselves, but also to other drivers and pedestrians. Unfortunately, the number of road accidents committed with the participation or through the fault of this category of violators is not decreasing. In this regard, the Minister of Internal Affairs instructed the traffic police to apply the most stringent measures against drunk drivers and lawless people. Alexander Voiteshko, First Deputy Head of the Main Directorate of the Traffic Police of the Ministry of Internal Affairs - Head of the Department of Supervisory and Registration and Examination Activities, told BelTA about the number of accidents that such violators cause, the number of victims and the liability that threatens drunk drivers and lawless people.

- How acute is the problem of drunk driving?

- We can say that the level of accidents committed through the fault of drunk drivers is not growing. At the same time, in our work, we constantly pay increased attention to identifying drunk drivers, as well as people who are deprived of a driver's license or have never received one at all. And if, God forbid, road accidents with their participation lead to the death of a person, this always causes a great public outcry. I must say that we fundamentally do not hide these facts and try to cover them as much as possible in the media. In our opinion, this creates the prerequisites for what can be called public censure. The non-acceptance of such negative facts by our society has a positive effect.

- What do the statistics say about this?

This year we registered 28 road accidents involving drunk drivers, in which six people died, another 36 were injured of varying severity. Last year alone, we identified and stopped about 16 thousand facts of driving a vehicle by drivers who got behind the wheel after drinking ALCOHOL. This year, we have identified and removed from driving more than 2.8 thousand drunk drivers.

- What is the responsibility of the perpetrators?

76 of them were prosecuted for drunk driving again during the year. That is, after an administrative penalty for a similar violation, they were again seen driving while intoxicated within a year. Their cars were also confiscated by COURT order, since repeated driving while intoxicated during the year provides for the confiscation of the car.

- Does the degree of responsibility depend on the concentration of alcohol in the driver's blood?

- Yes, there is such a gradation. Drivers bear different responsibility for a certain amount of alcohol detected in the blood. If the driver during the examination establishes the concentration of alcohol in the blood from 0.3 to 0.8 ppm, then this is one responsibility. Here we are talking about a fine of one hundred basic units and deprivation of a driver's license for a period of three years. If the presence of alcohol in the blood exceeds 0.8 ppm, then the liability is different - 200 basic units and deprivation of a driver's license for a period of five years. Refusal of a medical examination entails a similar liability. By the way, this year we have already detained 1,759 drunk drivers whose blood alcohol concentration exceeded 0.8 ppm.

- The Minister of Internal Affairs instructed to take the most stringent measures against this category of violators. What sanctions , besides a fine and deprivation of a driver's license, are provided for drunk drivers?

- Indeed, now we are obliged to apply the most stringent measures against such drivers, up to the seizure and placement of their vehicles in impounded parking lots. This is done in order to ensure the execution of the decision in the form of a fine. Until the fine is paid, no one will return the car to them. it must be said here that there are cases when drivers try to avoid responsibility and naively believe that they will succeed. They are hiding from the scene of an accident committed while intoxicated, or they do not comply with the repeated demands of traffic police officers to stop. Subsequently, we still find them, examine them and hold them accountable. The legislation provides that we can bring to the same responsibility as drunk drivers, those persons who fled the scene of an accident.

- In what cases are drunk drivers prosecuted?

- For repeated driving while intoxicated during the year, criminal liability is provided in the form of restriction or imprisonment for up to two years. If the driver gets behind the wheel drunk again, having already been convicted of such an offense, then restriction or imprisonment for up to three years is provided here.

- What can be said about the statistics related to the identification of lawless people on the roads?

- Since the beginning of the year, 24 accidents have been registered in Belarus, which were committed through the fault of lawless people. Five people died in them, 27 more were injured of varying severity. This is less than the same period last year. But in 2022, we identified and stopped about 61,000 cases of driving without rights, which is 10,000 more than in the same period of 2021. Therefore, to say that the problem is becoming less relevant, of course, is premature. This year, we have already identified and prevented 10.5 thousand similar facts. Repeatedly during the year, 1147 disenfranchised people got behind the wheel again. Three or more times is considered repeated driving by an unauthorized person and falls under the categories of criminal offenses. And 145 such criminal cases have already been initiated this year.

- Which road users can be classified as lawless?

- Of the 10.5 facts found this year, about 40% are drivers whose driver's license has expired. They are also considered as lawless by the Law on Road Traffic. That is, there are grounds for stopping driving. Many of them do not change their driver's license due to inattention: they did not check the validity of the rights, did not have time to change them, and so on. But there are those drivers who do not change their driver's license for the reason that they have certain medical contraindications to driving. Knowing this, they simply do not change their license and drive with an expired one until they are detained by a traffic police officer.

- What responsibility threatens the lawless?

- For those who simply forgot to change their rights, we can be lenient. They are fined five basic units. In the event that we detain persons who have never received a driver's license or have been deprived of it for violations, there is no leniency towards them. They are subject to the strictest liability provided for by applicable law.

Andrey VOROPAY,

BELTA.