Prague trams – illustrative photo.
Prague – Drivers who violate the ban on stopping or standing and cause an obstacle in the traffic, due to which, for example, the tram will not be able to pass, will now face a fine of 10,000 crowns in administrative proceedings. The current law envisages a fine for the said offense in the range of 1,500 to 2,500 crowns. An amendment to the Act on Traffic on Land Roads, which is being discussed by the House of Representatives, envisages toughening the penalties. This is an amendment that changes the penalty point system and increases some fines for misdemeanors. This was said to ČTK today by Ondřej Lochman (STAN), the rapporteur for the amendment and the chairman of the parliamentary subcommittee for transport.
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According to the explanatory memorandum to the amendment, such an offense is one of the offenses that have serious consequences and therefore requires a stricter penalty than other less serious violations of road traffic rules. On the spot, creating an obstacle to traffic as a result of bad parking would be punishable by a fine in the range of 2,500 to 3,000 crowns, but no penalty points. Lochman believes there should be points for this offense as it is a serious offence. “At the moment, there is a proposal to set aside one of the parking offenses as a special one, namely the blocking of public transport. Here, the fine is between 2,500 and 3,500 CZK on the spot, i.e. increased against normal parking, but 10,000 crowns in administrative proceedings,” the MP described. He believes that it is necessary for drivers to know about the news, therefore the Ministry of Transport should launch an appropriate information campaign with the organization Besip.
The amendment also increases the range of fines for other offences. For example, from CZK 5,000 to CZK 25,000, the upper limit of the fine for entering a railway crossing in cases where it is prohibited will be increased. The penalty will also increase if the driver, for example, fails to obey a stop signal. The upper limit of fines for disobeying a ban or driving direction order will be increased from CZK 2,500 to CZK 25,000. According to the explanatory report, these are offenses that often have fatal consequences.
The amendment also changes the punishment for driving under the influence of alcohol. Deletes the current offense of driving while impaired, which the driver caused by consuming an alcoholic beverage or using another addictive substance. Currently, this applies to both drivers and cyclists, but it is always a criminal offense for drivers, and therefore it mainly applies to cyclists, the explanatory report states. “Given that this fact currently falls within the strictest range of fines, it appears to be too severe a penalty for cyclists,” states the government.
Cyclists under the influence will now fall under different provisions, according to which, for driving under the influence of alcohol or other addictive substances, they are now liable to a fine from 7,000 to 25,000 crowns, which is the second strictest range of fines. They will be punished with such a fine regardless of how much they are affected. The reasoned report only states that, according to jurisprudence, the condition excluding the ability to drive occurs from one per thousand of alcohol in the blood. In the strictest range, fines from 25,000 to 75,000 crowns will be threatened. They will apply, for example, to cases where the driver refuses to undergo an examination for the influence of alcohol or other addictive substances.
