Fled the scene of the accident – went to prison

In Russia will introduce criminal liability for leaving the scene of an accident.

The government of the Russian Federation has developed a bill that, if adopted, would amend the criminal code, envisaging responsibility in accordance with the sanctions of article 264 of the criminal code “Violation of traffic Rules and operation of vehicles”.

The bill was designed to prevent cases, when drunk drivers whose fault was the accident, which injured people out of the places of accident, and then come into the group analysis of traffic police or the investigative authorities after I sobered up. In the end, the investigating authorities or the traffic police authorities it is not possible to establish that the driver who committed the accident, at the time of the accident was driving in a condition of alcoholic intoxication.

In the case of the entry into force of the amendments to the criminal code from drunk drivers will not be able to avoid criminal liability, hiding from the accident scene. The fact that the interior Ministry has developed amendments to article 264 of the criminal code which would permit investigating authorities to attract drivers to criminal responsibility under article 264 of the criminal code, in case they disappear from the scene.

Recall that, according to part 1 of article 264 of the criminal code, violation of traffic Rules and operation of vehicles, which had caused serious harm to human health, shall be punishable by restraint of liberty for a term up to 3 years, compulsory labor for up to 2 years with deprivation of the right to occupy certain positions or engage in certain activities for up to 3 years or without such, or by arrest for a term up to 6 months or by deprivation of liberty for a term up to 2 years with deprivation of the right to occupy certain positions or engage in certain activities for a term up to 3 years or without it.

However, part 2 of this article set more stringent criminal liability, as it applies to persons who sat down behind the wheel drunk and violated traffic rules, causing an accident, which caused serious harm to human health. So, part 2 of article 264 of the criminal code prescribes punishment in the form of forced labor for a term up to 3 years with deprivation of the right to occupy certain positions or engage in certain activities for a term up to 3 years or deprivation of liberty for a term up to 4 years with deprivation of the right to occupy certain positions or engage in certain activities for a term up to 3 years.

So, the government proposes to amend part 2 of article 264 of the criminal code, adding the words “or escaped from the place of its Commission”.

Accordingly, if a drunk driver will disappear from the scene of the accident, which was caused heavy damage to at least one person, then he will face criminal liability, providing up to 4 years of imprisonment.

Also, the amendments provide for changes in part 4 of article 264 of the criminal code, which is also proposed to add, after the words “intoxicated” with the words “or escaped from the place of its Commission”.

Accordingly, if the accident killed people and drunk driver will flee the scene of the accident, he will face liability in accordance with part 4 of article 264 of the criminal code (deprivation of liberty for a term from 2 to 7 years).

Including the legislator proposes to prescribe criminal liability, drunk drivers, hit-and-run accident, which killed at least 2 people or more. In the case of amendments, drivers who are intoxicated, who gets into an accident that killed 2 or more people, will be brought under part 6 of article 264 of the criminal code, which envisages imprisonment from 4 to 9 years.

By the way, this bill came after the beginning of the year, the constitutional court ordered the Federal government to develop rules in which hit-and-run accidents, drunk drivers could not evade criminal liability, as it is today.

The result of Medvedev orders Russian Ministry of internal Affairs have quickly enough developed amendments to the criminal code. At the moment the draft law published on a Single portal of draft regulations. It can be read here.