The Interior Ministry intends to toughen the punishment for repeated drunken condition driving

According to Kommersant, referring to the text of the document, the amendments will affect Article 264.1 of the Criminal Code, which establishes sanctions for drivers who have been "subjected to administrative punishment" - those who have already been punished for drunk driving or for refusing to undergo a medical examination.

Currently, criminal punishment for a repeated violation of this kind is expected in the form of a fine in the amount of 100-300 thousand rubles or imprisonment for up to two years. The Ministry of Internal Affairs believes that the sanctions should be toughened by increasing the amount of the fine to 500 thousand rubles, and the term of imprisonment - up to three years. In addition, it is proposed to establish the maximum term for the passage of correctional labor for the guilty ones - two years.

The explanatory note to the project emphasizes that the article, introduced in 2014, does not deter drunk drivers.

“At the household level, such violations continue to be associated with a minor offense, and people who abuse alcoholic beverages again get drunk behind the wheel”, - the authors of the bill indicate.

The publication reports that the commission for legislative activities has already approved the initiative. Moreover, the amendments were supported by the Prosecutor General's Office, the Supreme Court, the Investigative Committee, and the state-legal department of the President of Russia.

It's worth reminding that during the period from January to September last year, over 10 thousand accidents occurred in the country due to the fault of drunk drivers. The death toll in these accidents increased by 18% compared to 2019.

The traffic police indicated that in 2020, arrests of drivers increased, including for drunk driving.

Earlier it was reported that among the new norms of the Code of Administrative Offenses proposed by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Justice, there was also a tougher punishment for drunk driving: if a drunk driver was carrying a child, then he could be fined 50 thousand rubles and deprived of his license for up to three years.