Members of the House of Representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina (PABiH) discussed yesterday, May 15th, at the session, the amendments to the Law on Traffic Safety, proposed by Sasa Magazinovic and Jasmin Imamovic, in the second reading.
Representative of SDP Sasa Magazinovic explained that these amendments to the law define for the first time the concept of arrogant or reckless driving, as well as its rigorous punishment.
He emphasized that the amendment was created in cooperation with prosecutors, court experts, and traffic engineering experts who clearly underlined to him and Imamovic that there are many things that need to be changed in the current law, but that the priority is to influence the reduction of traffic accidents, especially those with fatal outcomes.
“It was underlined to us that the most common causes of such traffic accidents are arrogant, that is, reckless driving, driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol, and recently, very prominently, the use of mobile phones. All these things are precisely contained in the law,” explained Magazinovic.
He claims that reckless or arrogant driving has been defined for the first time in BiH legislation, as well as rigorous punishment and that the penalties range from fines, several months’ suspension of the driver’s license, to vehicle confiscation in the case of repeated offenses.
He added that the law also provides for an increase in the fine for using a mobile phone while driving.
Magazinovic claims that the fines for the listed cases in the law will be higher if the offense causes a traffic accident.
“This cannot be viewed as a way to fill the budget. On the contrary, this is a way by which we want to deter the commission of offenses and thereby reduce the number of traffic accidents. When I proposed changes to this law two years ago that regulate high fines for abuse or unauthorized use of parking spaces for persons with disabilities, people said that nothing can be achieved with fines and that it would not have a big effect. But recently I received information that the number of such cases has drastically decreased,” concluded Magazinovic.
Key segments of the law are the correction of definitions of some terms in order to avoid manipulations in courts that result in the absence of punishment, as well as the definition of reckless or arrogant driving as driver behavior grossly contrary to traffic rules.
In this sense, it specifically defines passing through a red light two or more times, driving in inhabited areas at a speed more than 40 km/h over the limit, and outside inhabited areas at 60 km/h over the limit, overtaking a line of vehicles across a solid line, driving under the influence of alcohol (1.5 g/kg) and under the influence of psychoactive substances.
Also proposed are punitive measures, among others, a fine from 2.000 to 3.000 BAM, six months’ suspension of the driver’s license, and two penalty points for reckless driving.
If reckless driving caused a traffic accident, a fine of 3.000 to 5.000 BAM is defined, nine months’ suspension of the driver’s license, and four penalty points. A fine of 200 to 400 BAM is proposed for using a mobile phone while driving, not wearing a seat belt, and using radar-jamming devices. If the use of a mobile phone caused a traffic accident, the proposed fine is from 400 to 2.000 BAM, suspension of the driver’s license from one month to six months, and two penalty points.
