Minister of Infrastructure Dariusz Klimczak announced changes to road traffic regulations. His ministry is to work, among other things, on tightening the regulations for drunk drivers and propose “introducing the concept of road murder into the code”. – There are many problems. I would like to approach this systematically – said the head of MI.
– Unfortunately, in our Polish reality, it is so often the case that we talk about various types of accidents, deficiencies of our legal system, loopholes in the code, loopholes in law enforcement only after a great misfortune. That is why I asked my colleagues from the government, the Minister of Justice Adam Bodnar and (the boss Ministry of Interior and Administration) Tomasz Siemoniakso that we can jointly establish a team that will define from A to Z all current and our future plans regarding changing the regulations – said the Minister of Infrastructure.
He added that “today a special meeting of the working group took place, which decided to establish a permanent inter-ministerial team that will work out all the detailed issues that result from the specific nature of our ministries.”
– There are many problems. I would like to approach this systematically, which is why I am very happy and would like to thank the Minister (of Justice) Adam Bodnar and the Minister (of Internal Affairs and Administration) Tomasz Siemoniak for deciding to establish this team and for taking into account all our conclusions, which come from, among others, the ongoing discussion and the expert opinions that we commission to the National Road Safety Council – said Klimczak.
He explained that “we are also dealing with criminal regulations, we are dealing with regulations that experts from the Ministry of Justice must work on by necessity”, and “together with the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Administration, which supervises the police, we would like to construct regulations that will be effectively enforced”.
Fighting road pirates
He added that what is already planned includes “fighting against those drivers who exceed the speed limit.”
– We know of such cases, especially on single-carriageway, two-way roads outside built-up areas, when in the morning, at night, usually people returning from various events, “wrap themselves” on a tree and these are tragic accidents. We decided to change the regulation so that every driver who exceeds the speed limit of 50 km/h on a single-carriageway, two-way road will also have their driving license seized. This regulation is ready – indicated the Minister of Infrastructure.
He stressed that “these regulations have so far been in force in built-up areas, where anyone who exceeds the speed limit by 50 km/h will have their driving license taken away” and “it turned out that this regulation is effective and the number of drivers who exceed the speed limit by 50 km/h in built-up areas is decreasing”.
– That is why we would like to extend this regulation to include single-carriageway, two-way roads outside built-up areas. We would like to apply more of this type of regulation, but I am doing this in consultation with experts from the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Administration. This is the only way we can introduce into our legislation such regulations that will be effective and effectively enforced – said Klimczak.
He also noted that the Ministry of Infrastructure will propose to the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of the Interior and Administration “to introduce the concept of road murder into the code”.
– I know that this type of regulation exists in other European Union countries. I know that different countries have different specifics when it comes to court rulings and proving this type of crime. However, in Poland we should try to introduce this type of regulation into our legal system. I am open to discussions with the Ministry of Justice and other ministries. I hope that we will pass a law that will be effective and will be effectively enforced. And most importantly, it will discourage crimes by those who decide to get behind the wheel after drinking alcohol or exceed the speed limit so drastically, like the road killer who did it recently in Warsaw – the head of MI noted.
Klimczak on the fight against road pirates: I would like to approach it systematicallyTVN24
The issue of drunk drivers
– For several months, as the Ministry of Infrastructure, we have also been working on changes to the road code. We are working to reduce the number of accidents. This also concerns issues related to speed, but also matters that I cannot agree with – said Klimczak.
As an example, he gave a situation in which “a person driving a vehicle is stopped and it is found that this person no longer has a driving licence because it has been stopped for three months, and the only penalty is the fact that the period of the driving licence suspension is extended from the moment of the finding”.
– We believe that the regulations should be changed so that this person would have their driving license permanently taken away and would have to apply for it again, and that would be the minimum penalty – said the head of the Ministry of Infrastructure.
– The regulations that apply to drunk drivers are also unacceptable today. Drunk drivers who unfortunately decide to drive after having their driving license suspended – Klimczak pointed out.
He added that the ministries are to “work on changing the regulations that would allow for effective enforcement and punishment of all those who drive drunk on our roads.”
– Today, there is a big problem with identifying such people and trying to determine whether this person has the ability to continue driving a car and how this person can be punished more severely if he or she actually decides to break his or her driving license in the same way again – said the minister.
Main image source: PAP | PAP/Darek Delmanowicz