The problem of drunk driving, the consequences of irresponsible actions in Ukraine has become not just threatening, but catastrophic. Last year alone, patrols found more than 100,000 people driving under the influence of alcohol or after using drugs. More than a hundred people died and more than 1,500 were injured because of them.

And this is the tip of the iceberg, because these are only cases recorded by law enforcement. And how many of those who accidentally avoided meeting with the police, safely got to their destination one, two or five times, fortunately, without killing or maiming themselves or anyone else ?! This time. And who can now decide that this is the norm ?! Scary to even imagine…
The problem has become urgent for a long time and I, as a lawyer, understood perfectly well that it is necessary to solve it only comprehensively. Because no matter how many patrols there are, no matter how many reports they make, until the punishment is appropriate to the crime, we will only state the sad statistics with horror…
The issue of strengthening the responsibility for drunk driving has been in the field of view of both politicians and the public for a long time, but it was finally resolved at the legislative level only today, when the Verkhovna Rada adopted the draft Law № 2695 "On Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of Ukraine certain offenses in the field of road safety".

This is an important, fundamental and long-awaited step. And I'm sure that after the law came into force, most drivers who have at least once allowed themselves such senseless acts, now, I hope, will first think carefully about whether to repeat again.
After all, the bill makes significant changes to the Code of Ukraine on Administrative Offenses and the Criminal Code of Ukraine. In particular, the size of fines has been significantly increased; the period for which a person may be deprived of the right to drive a vehicle may now reach ten years; provided in some cases the possibility of confiscation of the vehicle and many other changes.
It is also important that the bill abolished the "loophole" used by some "smart people" when after the accident on the spot in front of law enforcement officers drank alcohol
to mislead the police - allegedly during the event were sober, and decided to drink because of a significant mental excitement after. Now such actions are also punishable.
Unfortunately, some of the proposals of the authors of the bill, which were contained in the document from the beginning, are not reflected in the final version, because they did not find sufficient support in the session hall.
For example, the draft law, which was considered in the first reading, stipulated that the driver who was stopped had to wait for permission from a police officer or officials of the military traffic safety inspection of the Military Law Enforcement Service in the Armed Forces to get out of the car.

Or another example, for exceeding the speed limits of vehicles by more than fifty kilometers per hour, a fine of two hundred non-taxable minimum incomes, i.e. UAH 3,400, was imposed, but the court voted a fine for such a violation of only one hundred non-taxable minimum incomes, i.e. UAH 1,700. At the same time, I am sure that such changes will be made, albeit a little later.
Returning to the adopted bill, I would like to emphasize that there are many innovations in it and, I am convinced, their implementation will significantly increase safety on Ukrainian roads and save many lives of our citizens. And for fans of "thrills" I sincerely recommend reading the document, because emotions can be much sharper than expected…
Chairman of the Supervisory Board of KhNUIA, Candidate of Law, Associate Professor Iryna Yefremova