Drunk drivers will be processed faster: State Duma changes the rules

A bill has been submitted to the State Duma providing for a reduction in the number of procedural documents when processing drivers in a state of intoxication. The document was published on January 22 on the website of the lower house of parliament.

Currently, when signs of alcohol intoxication are detected, traffic police inspectors are required to draw up from three to five protocols. These include documents on suspension from driving, an examination report, a referral for medical examination, a protocol on an administrative offense, and a protocol on the detention of the vehicle. The authors of the initiative consider the mandatory execution of a suspension protocol in each case to be redundant.

The bill proposes to amend the Code of Administrative Offenses and allow State traffic inspectorate officers to make a note of the driver's suspension in other documents, for example, in the examination report. A similar approach is planned to be applied to the detention of a vehicle — a record of it can be entered in the main protocol.

According to the authors of the initiative, in 2024, 403.5 thousand cases were initiated in Russia for driving under the influence of alcohol and refusing medical examination. It takes an inspector about five minutes to complete one document.

Reducing the number of protocols will save about 33.6 thousand working hours annually, as well as reduce the cost of forms and paperwork. Legislators believe that this will increase the efficiency of the traffic police without weakening control over drunk drivers.

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