Fines and deprivation of rights: Ukraine is preparing tougher penalties for drivers

In Ukraine, there are plans to review the liability for traffic violations, in particular for significant speeding and systematic violations. Bill No. 15348, which provides for a new approach to punishing drivers, is being prepared for the first reading in the Verkhovna Rada.

The greater the excess, the more severe the punishment

One of the main changes is the introduction of a gradation of liability for exceeding the established speed.

According to Biloshitsky, it is proposed to separately determine the level of liability depending on how much the driver exceeded the permitted speed – by 20, 40, 60 or 80 km/h.

Thus, the size and severity of the punishment should be directly related to the degree of danger of the violation.

The patrol police expect that the bill will be quickly considered in parliament.

They want to deal with repeat drivers separately

At the same time, the bill is called only the first step towards increasing liability for those who regularly ignore traffic rules.

According to Biloshitsky, during the investigation of serious accidents, the police are faced with situations where the perpetrator of the accident already had dozens of recorded violations.

The police believe that standard fines may not be enough for such drivers.

“Standard liability does not necessarily apply to systematic violators, it should be different,” Biloshitsky noted.

Penalty points and deprivation of the right to drive

One of the possible next steps could be a penalty point system, which is already used in a number of other countries.

Under such a model, points are awarded to the driver for a violation. Their accumulation can lead to much more serious consequences than a regular fine.

Among the possible sanctions for systematic violators, the police mention a temporary suspension of the right to drive vehicles or deprivation of a driver’s license.

At the same time, it does not follow from the information provided that the penalty point system is already provided for by draft law No. 15348. It is called one of the possible mechanisms for further strengthening responsibility.

Why the issue has become relevant again

The discussion about punishing dangerous drivers has intensified after high-profile fatal accidents.

In particular, in Kyiv, a 23-year-old driver of a Volkswagen Golf drove into a public transport stop. Two women died as a result of the accident, and the driver was reported as suspicious.

The patrol police emphasized that such tragedies once again raise the issue of the effectiveness of current penalties for dangerous driving.

Thus, in the near future, the parliament should consider the first block of changes – the gradation of responsibility depending on the level of speeding. The next stage may be a separate strengthening of sanctions for drivers who systematically violate traffic rules.