Putin has abolished “zero blood-alcohol content”

15.08.2013 En Administrator2

President Vladimir Putin has signed the law which implements the definition of maximal blood-alcohol content (BAC) for drivers. The law is also raising the fines for drunk driving up to 50 thousand rubles. The mentioned document is published on the official legal information website. It states that a person is considered under the influence of alcohol if one’s exhaled air has got more than 0,16 milligram of spirits to one liter of air. The legal innovation is determined to exclude sober drivers from penalties because alcohol testers can react to kefir or kvas which in fact are non-alcoholic beverages that provoke negligible quantity of alcohol to appear in breath. Drunken driver though is going to face a 50-thousand-rubles fine (approximately $1500), moreover drunken driving leads to driver’s disqualification for the period from 1.5 to 2 years. The same penalty is going to be implemented to those who let drunken drivers use their cars. Such irresponsible actions will be viewed as handing the driving to a drunken person. Repeated offense by a person during his period of disqualification will be penalized with 10-15 days in jail or, if the person is excused from imprisonment (e.g. pregnant women) – with 30 thousand rubles fine. Repeated drunken driving or handing the car to a drunken person will be penalized again but this time the fine is going to be 50 thousand rubles and a 3-year disqualification. At the same time the laws are getting more severe for those who deny a request to take a medical check-up. According to the new law such persons will get 30 thousand rubles fine and 1.5 to 2 years disqualification while now they’re facing only disqualification. If an already disqualified person denies such request he’s going to spend 10-15 days in jail. The fines are being increased for pedestrians and scooter drivers who violate the rules. Moreover, exceeding the speed limit by more than 80 km/h is going to be punished with 5 thousand rubles or 6-months disqualification. Until now exceeding the limit by more than 60 km/h is being punished with a fine worth from 2 to 2.5 thousand rubles or disqualification for 4 to 6 months. The law is coming into effect since September the 1st 2013. By Irina Nikitina Translated by Daniil Suprunchuk

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