Vehicle confiscation for drunken driving takes effect tomorrow

The amendments on the confiscation of vehicles for drunken driving come into effect on October 24.

The amendments were made to article 61 of the Criminal Code. A vehicle can be confiscated even if it doesn't belong to a drunken driver if a criminal case under article 317-1 of the Criminal Code (driving under the influence, giving a vehicle to a drunk driver or refusal to undergo a medical test). Confiscation will not be applied if a car was stolen and in other similar cases.

A car can be confiscated only as part of a criminal process after the second DUI violation during the year. As for the Code of Administrative Offences, it increases fines from 15-35 penalty units to 50-100 penalty units (one penalty units is 130,000 rubles now), BelTA news agency reports.

Article 317 (a violation of the traffic rules or the rules of using vehicles) was also amended. Earlier, drunkenness was considered to be an aggravation, but the amendments add two parts related to drunken drivers to the article. Under part 4, a drunken driver, who caused serious injuries or death to a person, can be jailed to from 6 months to 7 years. In accordance with part 5, the death two or more people in a car accident committed by a drunken driver will be punished with a jail term from 4 to 10 years. Alternative sorts of punishment are not offered in the code.

The amendments were adopted by the “house of representatives” on June 19, 2013, in two readings and were approved by the “council of the republic” on June 23. Lukashenka signed the bill into law on July 12.