Jāņi typically sees an increase in car accidents as people celebrate the midsummer with alcohol.
RIGA — If you’re up all night drinking around a bonfire for Jāņi, just don’t behind the wheel of a car until you’ve slept it off.
On Thursday the Latvian parliament passed a bill increasing the fine for driving under the influence of alcohol, and depending on your weight only one drink is enough to put you over the limit. The new penalties will come into effect the day after [private_supervisor]the president signs the bill, expected to happen next week.
With only 0.2-0.5 per mil of alcohol in your blood will result in a 150 to 300 lats (€212 to €424) fine and a six-month driving license suspension, up from three months under the previous law. At 0.5 to 1 per mil, the bill provides for fines of 300 to 450 lats (€424 to €635), and a license suspension for one year.
For those caught driving with over 1 per mil of alcohol, the penalties get more severe. The fine is fine of 600 to 800 lats (€847 to €1,130), a two year license suspension and five to 10 days in jail. If there’s over 1.5 per mil of alcohol in your blood, the fine is upped to 800 to 1,000 lats (€1,130 to €1,415), the license suspended for four years and 10 to 15 days of jailtime, the same amount as for fleeing police.
The bill also doubles the penalty for selling alcohol and tobacco to those under 18, increasing the fine to 500 to 1,000 lats (€707 to €1,415) for first-time offenders and 2,000 to 5,000 lats (€2,825 to €7,060) for repeat offenders.
The state isn’t just using penalties for deterrence, they’re also using art. A giant bed has been set up in downtown Riga to remind that driving under the influence can put you and others in hospital beds. [/private_supervisor] [private_subscription 1 month]the president signs the bill, expected to happen next week.
With only 0.2-0.5 per mil of alcohol in your blood will result in a 150 to 300 lats (€212 to €424) fine and a six-month driving license suspension, up from three months under the previous law. At 0.5 to 1 per mil, the bill provides for fines of 300 to 450 lats (€424 to €635), and a license suspension for one year.
For those caught driving with over 1 per mil of alcohol, the penalties get more severe. The fine is fine of 600 to 800 lats (€847 to €1,130), a two year license suspension and five to 10 days in jail. If there’s over 1.5 per mil of alcohol in your blood, the fine is upped to 800 to 1,000 lats (€1,130 to €1,415), the license suspended for four years and 10 to 15 days of jailtime, the same amount as for fleeing police.
The bill also doubles the penalty for selling alcohol and tobacco to those under 18, increasing the fine to 500 to 1,000 lats (€707 to €1,415) for first-time offenders and 2,000 to 5,000 lats (€2,825 to €7,060) for repeat offenders.
The state isn’t just using penalties for deterrence, they’re also using art. A giant bed has been set up in downtown Riga to remind that driving under the influence can put you and others in hospital beds. [/private_subscription 1 month] [private_subscription 4 months]the president signs the bill, expected to happen next week.
With only 0.2-0.5 per mil of alcohol in your blood will result in a 150 to 300 lats (€212 to €424) fine and a six-month driving license suspension, up from three months under the previous law. At 0.5 to 1 per mil, the bill provides for fines of 300 to 450 lats (€424 to €635), and a license suspension for one year.
For those caught driving with over 1 per mil of alcohol, the penalties get more severe. The fine is fine of 600 to 800 lats (€847 to €1,130), a two year license suspension and five to 10 days in jail. If there’s over 1.5 per mil of alcohol in your blood, the fine is upped to 800 to 1,000 lats (€1,130 to €1,415), the license suspended for four years and 10 to 15 days of jailtime, the same amount as for fleeing police.
The bill also doubles the penalty for selling alcohol and tobacco to those under 18, increasing the fine to 500 to 1,000 lats (€707 to €1,415) for first-time offenders and 2,000 to 5,000 lats (€2,825 to €7,060) for repeat offenders.
The state isn’t just using penalties for deterrence, they’re also using art. A giant bed has been set up in downtown Riga to remind that driving under the influence can put you and others in hospital beds. [/private_subscription 4 months] [private_subscription 1 year]the president signs the bill, expected to happen next week.
With only 0.2-0.5 per mil of alcohol in your blood will result in a 150 to 300 lats (€212 to €424) fine and a six-month driving license suspension, up from three months under the previous law. At 0.5 to 1 per mil, the bill provides for fines of 300 to 450 lats (€424 to €635), and a license suspension for one year.
For those caught driving with over 1 per mil of alcohol, the penalties get more severe. The fine is fine of 600 to 800 lats (€847 to €1,130), a two year license suspension and five to 10 days in jail. If there’s over 1.5 per mil of alcohol in your blood, the fine is upped to 800 to 1,000 lats (€1,130 to €1,415), the license suspended for four years and 10 to 15 days of jailtime, the same amount as for fleeing police.
The bill also doubles the penalty for selling alcohol and tobacco to those under 18, increasing the fine to 500 to 1,000 lats (€707 to €1,415) for first-time offenders and 2,000 to 5,000 lats (€2,825 to €7,060) for repeat offenders.
The state isn’t just using penalties for deterrence, they’re also using art. A giant bed has been set up in downtown Riga to remind that driving under the influence can put you and others in hospital beds. [/private_subscription 1 year]
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