The harshest punishment for a driver involved in a road accident with physical damage caused to the victim is up to ten years’ imprisonment and deprivation of the right to drive, if the accident results in one or more deaths. In such a case, the penalty is of six to ten years in jail. The punishment is harsher if the person was driving under the influence of alcohol.
Lawyer Andrei Berescu, a member of the Law Firm “Protection of Human Rights”, stated for IPN that if minor injuries are caused and the driver’s blame is established, the Contravention Code stipulates punishment in the form of a fine of 1,200 to 1,500 lei and six penalty points. In case of medium injuries, the Penal Code stipulates a fine of up to 32,500 lei, 180 to 240 hours of community service or up to three years in jail, with or without ban on driving for a period of at most two years. In case of serious injuries or death, the driver faces three to seven years in prison and ban on driving.
If a road accident happens, the police are called out and also an ambulance if there are victims that need medical care. The punishment depends on the gravity of the road accident and the bodily injuries sustained by those involved in it.
The leaving of the scene of the accident when criminal punishment is faced is punished with a fine of 27,500 lei to 42,500 lei, 200 to 240 hours of community service or up to two years in jail. The leaving of the scene when the deed is punished as a contravention carries a penalty of up to 5,000 lei, ban on driving for a period of up to two years, up to 60 hours of community service or at most 15 days under arrest.
The driver can be declared non-guilty by court decision or by an ordinance of the investigation body and the charges are dropped, said Andrei Berescu, urging the participants in vehicle traffic to show calmness, vigilance and responsibility and to abide by the law.
