INTENSIFY PENALTIES FOR CAUSING TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS DUE TO SPEEDING AND ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION

BANJA LUKA, DECEMBER 21 /SRNA/ – The increase in traffic-related death rate in Republika Srpska should alarm and prompt the urgent intensification of penalties for causing accidents due to speeding and alcohol consumption, Milija Radović of the Traffic Safety Agency told SRNA.

Radović stated that in 11 months of this year, 118 people were killed in traffic accidents, while 94 people lost their lives during the entire previous year, indicating that the situation has significantly worsened. Although numerous preventive campaigns have been conducted, Radović emphasized that the causes of traffic accidents are always the same, most often the speeding speed and driving under the influence /DUI/. A major problem, he says, is the low traffic violations penalties prescribed by law. DUI fine from 0.3 to 0.8 per mille is BAM 50, and if paid within eight days it amounts to BAM 25, while in Slovenia the fine for the same violation ranges between EUR 600 and 800. According to him, the problem is that the fines are defined by a law adopted in 2006 , 19 years ago, and only some have been amended in the meantime, meaning such penalties will not deter anyone from driving under the influence of alcohol. “It is necessary to begin drafting a new law at the level of BiH and to harmonize penalties with those in the region. The current fines we have will not discourage anyone from committing violations,” Radović claims. He believes it is necessary to allocate more funds for preventive campaigns, as well as more frequent media advertising so that messages and warnings reach as many citizens as possible. “The holidays are approaching, a period when additional caution in traffic is required, which we constantly emphasize through our campaign ‘It’s Easy to Say No to Alcohol.’ The goal is to point out how dangerous it is when a driver gets behind the wheel under the influence of alcohol,” Radović said. He explained that alcohol first causes a feeling of euphoria, followed by false self-confidence, leading the driver to believe they can easily handle driving challenges, when in fact the opposite is true.