In a playful way: the process of registration of drunk drivers can be simplified
Registration by the State Traffic Inspectorate of drivers stopped under the influence of alcohol is planned to be simplified by reducing the number of documents. Such a bill was approved by the Cabinet of Ministers of the Russian Federation. Currently, traffic police officers fill out up to six protocols, but their number may decrease to two or three. This will save up to 34,000 working hours per car inspector annually for other cases. At the same time, 162 road accidents occurred in Russia during the New Year holidays, involving drivers in a state of intoxication. Whether the proposed norms will help to deal with violators is in the Izvestia article.
How will the norms work?
Traffic police officers will be able to register drivers who are caught intoxicated faster. On January 12, such a draft, developed by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, was approved by the Russian government's commission on legislative activity. This was reported to Izvestia by the State Traffic Inspectorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia.
Now, when identifying a drunk driver, a traffic police officer has to draw up a number of documents that, in fact, duplicate each other, and their lengthy completion distracts inspectors from performing other duties, Vladimir Gruzdev, Chairman of the Board of the Russian Bar Association, explained to Izvestia. In particular, these are the protocol on removal from control of the vehicle, the act of examination, the protocol of referral for a medical examination, the protocol on an administrative violation and the protocol on the detention of the vehicle.
— The draft law proposes either to draw up a separate protocol on suspension, or to put a note on suspension in the act of examination, the protocol on referral for a medical examination, the protocol on the detention of a vehicle, the protocol on an administrative offense, the decision on the initiation of proceedings or the decision on the case, — said Vladimir Gruzdev.
In 2024, 403,5 thousand administrative cases were initiated for drunk driving and refusal of medical examination, the explanatory note says.
"It takes about five minutes to draft one procedural document. Reducing the number of documents to be filled out would save approximately 33.6 thousand working hours per year, as well as reduce the financial costs required to purchase blank products," the document says.
According to Vladimir Gruzdev, the main purpose of the draft law is to optimize the activities of officials by reducing the number of documents compiled. The proposals, as the authors note, will not entail restrictions on the rights and freedoms of citizens and are aimed at eliminating cases of excessive actions.
From January 1 to January 11, 2026, according to preliminary data, 2,329 car accidents occurred in Russia, in which 348 people were killed and 3,515 injured, the press service of the State Traffic Inspectorate reported.
During the New Year holidays, 162 road accidents occurred in Russia, involving drivers who were intoxicated or refused medical examinations. As a result of such incidents, 12 people died and 226 were injured, including 27 children.
"In the coming year, the State Traffic Inspectorate will continue to fight drunk drivers. Events aimed at identifying drivers in a state of intoxication will be held regularly throughout the country, including in large cities and regional centers. We urge all road users not to remain indifferent to the problem of drunk driving, reporting to the police about drivers who behave inappropriately on the road," the department stressed.
Izvestia sent a request to the Interior Ministry asking how the new law would work if adopted.
Chases, shooting at wheels and downed pedestrians
On January 10, 2026, a massive road accident occurred in Irkutsk. Traffic police officers found that the 33-year-old driver of the car "did not choose a safe distance to the cars moving ahead and collided with them." As a result, seven vehicles were damaged.
"The examination procedure carried out showed the presence of alcohol vapors in the exhaled air of the culprit of the accident," the regional department of the department reported.
On the same day, a traffic police crew chased a drunk female driver on Sakhalin. The police's repeated demands to stop were ignored. The driver created emergency situations on the road, and also tried to make a collision with a patrol car.
"At a safe area, traffic police warned the offender that firearms would be used against him, but the driver did not react. The police officer fired a warning shot upward, and then aimed shots at the wheels. As a result, the car was stopped," the traffic police of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia in the Sakhalin region clarified.
The driver was a 29-year-old Sakhalin woman who was deprived of the right to drive a vehicle for 18 months in November 2025 for transferring a car to a person who was intoxicated.
On January 7, 2026, in the Orenburg region, a 36-year-old man knocked down a 50-year-old pedestrian while intoxicated. The victim was taken to the hospital with serious injuries, where he later died. The driver has been arrested. The investigation revealed that he did not have a driver's license at the time of the incident — he had previously been deprived of his license.
How the changes will help
The proposal to abandon the registration of a protocol of suspension from driving a vehicle is quite logical, says Sergey Radko, a lawyer for the Freedom of Choice movement. In his opinion, traffic police in this case make up documents that largely duplicate each other.
— The data that the driver was removed from control, indicating the reasons: the smell of alcohol from his mouth, redness of the skin, incoherent speech, gait disorder, behavior that does not correspond to the situation, can be indicated in the protocol on the examination, referral for medical examination or refusal of medical examination, — said the expert. — In this case, the police will not have to write the same information about the motorist and his car in several documents at once.
The simplified procedure will in no way infringe on the rights of drivers, but will allow speeding up the registration process for those who got behind the wheel drunk, the lawyer emphasized.
Currently, the procedure for registering drunk drivers is quite bureaucratic and lengthy, said Igor Morzharetto, a member of the presidium of the Public Council under the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation. The proposed changes in legislation will make it easier and faster, he is sure.
— The protocol for removing the driver from control of the vehicle is by and large an unnecessary document: the data from it can be indicated to the wave in other protocols, which in this case must still be executed. In fact, traffic inspectors will be relieved of unnecessary writing, and instead of filling out a pile of identical papers, they will be able to return to traffic control faster," Igor Morzharetto explained to Izvestia.
The problem of the duration of registration of offenses on the roads does exist, said Sofya Lukinova, head of the Legal department of VMT Consult. The victims of the accident, the perpetrators, the flow of motorists, and traffic police officers, who face a high administrative burden, are suffering.
"However, there are potential risks," the lawyer believes. — Firstly, there is a growing likelihood of incomplete information, which may lead to the loss of important details, without which the consideration of cases in court will be accompanied by difficulties for both sides. Secondly, changes will need to be made to existing procedures, which will require retraining of inspectors, and there is a high probability of resistance on the ground.
In order for the changes to work, it is necessary to develop clear and unambiguous methodological recommendations along with the draft law, as well as to form control mechanisms to monitor the effectiveness of the innovation, experts believe.
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