2024-07-23 19:34:31
The minister reminded that the proposal to apply fines from the first kilometer was already rejected once, and then rejected for the fifth kilometer.
“Latvia’s studies have now been completed. I have not lost faith that the deputies will still be ready to make responsible, data-based decisions. We have already told you before that warnings and penalties have an impact on the average speed of the transport system, and the average speed creates a risk in the entire transport system “, the minister emphasized.
He pointed out that even if speed is not the only or main factor in a road traffic accident, it is always a factor that makes the consequences of the accident more serious, which has been proven in all cause and effect correlation studies in the world.
“We were told in the Saeima – no, these are already international studies, everything is different in Latvia, people will have an exaggerated reaction, some will slow down too much in traffic and this will create new unforeseen risks. Even the head of the Legal Commission used such reasoning. Now the studies of the Riga Technical University prove that the same hypotheses that have been proven internationally also work in Latvia,” added Briškens.
He said the ministry is also thinking about road infrastructure, supervision, driving culture and driver skills, as well as the technical condition of cars. “It is a very complicated system. But there are things that we cannot do now and immediately. We cannot rebuild all highways into four-lane or at least three-lane highways. What we can do here and now is to take over another European Union (EU) the practice of the member states and punish the first violated kilometer,” said the minister.
The minister added that in this case it is about two penalty units. He reminded that one penalty unit is five euros, and this level has not been reviewed since 2014.
“I’m sorry, but for many people a fine of ten euros is like a sneeze. That’s why I would even be ready to move towards a progressive system of penalties. Yes, currently there is no general income declaration system in Latvia, but maybe we can talk about linking it to the value of the car and thus get the rich costs more,” Brisken added.
He also mentioned that the ministry wants to triple the average speed radar infrastructure in Latvia, because in these areas it can be observed that the flow is much more uniform and the distances between cars are more controllable.
“But currently the radar does not send warnings for violations up to ten kilometers per hour. In order to allow the radar to work in its entire range, we believe that monetary penalties should be applied from the first kilometer violated,” said the minister.
2024-07-23 19:34:31