Latvia has handed over 66 cars confiscated from drunk drivers to Ukraine

Latvia has handed over 66 cars confiscated from drunk drivers to Ukraine on a free-of-charge basis. 

This was reported by Delfi.lv. 

According to the Latvian police, 17 drivers were detained for drunk driving in the past day alone.

Earlier, it was reported that changes to the Criminal Code came into effect in November of last year, which introduced criminal liability for driving or teaching driving if the alcohol concentration in breath or blood exceeds 1.5 per mille. Criminal liability is also imposed for driving or teaching driving under the influence of narcotic, psychotropic, toxic, or other intoxicating substances.

Furthermore, a vehicle is seized if the owner was driving under the influence of alcohol or refused to undergo testing for the presence of intoxicating substances in the body. If the vehicle being driven under the influence belongs to someone else, the full or partial value of the vehicle is recovered from the culpable individual.

In the past day, 17 drivers operating vehicles under the influence of alcohol were detained on Latvian roads, according to the State Police. Four administrative offense cases and 13 criminal cases have been initiated for driving under the influence. In five cases, vehicles driven by offenders were confiscated, and in eight cases, the value of the vehicles will be recovered.

It should be noted that at the beginning of March, the Latvian government decided to transfer eight cars to Ukraine free of charge. In April, the confiscated cars were sent to the town of Pobuzke in the Kirovohrad Oblast and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine.

According to Latvian law "On Support to the Civilian Population in Ukraine," vehicles owned by Latvia can be transferred to Ukraine free of charge to prevent the consequences of the emergency situation related to military operations in Ukraine and to support Ukrainian society.

This is one of the ways in which Latvia is helping Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression.

Prime Minister of Latvia Krisjanis Karins previously stated that 100% of Latvian society supports Ukraine, even those who drive drunk. As an example, he mentioned a law under which if a person gets behind the wheel in a severely intoxicated state, the state confiscates the car.

"And we have a problem: what to do with the accumulated cars? And then the Minister of Finance says, 'Why don't we give these cars to the Ukrainian army?' We contacted them and found out that they are interested. And we send them to the Ukrainian Armed Forces, not all cars, but those that are truly needed at the front," explained Karins.

In the Verkhovna Rada (the Ukrainian parliament), a proposal has been made to amend Article 130 of the Code of Ukraine on Administrative Offenses. The proposed amendments include increasing the amount of fines and introducing the confiscation of vehicles for repeated instances within a year of individuals driving under the influence of alcohol, drugs, or other intoxicants, or under the influence of medicinal products that impair their attention and reaction speed.

"It would be entirely fair to confiscate the vehicle for the needs of the Ukrainian Armed Forces from individuals who drove under the influence in such challenging conditions for the country. After all, all Ukrainian citizens must be conscious and contribute to the stability of the country on the home front," according to the explanatory note to draft law No. 9076.