The amendment of the legislation to introduce harsher penalties for persons who drive under the unfence of alcohol could improve the road traffic situation. The subject was discussed in a public meeting held to identify mechanisms for combating and preventing driving under the influence. Among the proposed measures are the withdrawal of the driver’s license for good, community service or even confiscation of the unit of transport, IPN reports.
According to the secretary of state at the Ministry of Justice Anatolie Munteanu, an efficient intervention mechanism should be worked out given that more persons decide to drive while under the influence. In districts, this phenomenon is fueled by the non-training of drivers, corruption, underestimation of the impact of the phenomenon and indulgent attitude to these drivers.
Gennady Ceban, vice director of the National Probation Inspectorate, said the fines imposed at present are not sufficiently heavy to make the persons not drive under the influence. The number of drivers who commit violations continues to rise. The fact that these persons are stripped of the driver’s license does not mean that they no longer drive.
Ion Rusu, in charge of detainee surveillance in the penitentiary system, said imprisonment for driving under the influence is a too harsh penalty, except for the cases when the accidents result in victims. A number of 279 persons serve now time in jail for committing accidents while being inebriated. These are aged between 21 and 40.
The participants in the discussions made reference to international practices. In the U.S., the persons caught driving under the influence are deprived of car. In Romania, the person caught driving inebriated for the third time is stripped of the driver’s license for good. In other states, the deed is punished with community service.
Under the Contravention Code of Moldova, driving under the influence of alcohol is punished with a fine of up to 25,000 lei if the deed does not constitute an offense and with ban on driving for two to three years. Under the Penal Code, the inebriated driver who causes medium injuries to a person is fined up to 67,500 lei or is jailed for at most four years.
As many as 2 570 persons caught driving under the influence were on probation in 2016. Now the figure stands at 3 331.
