Polish police confiscate cars of drunks on the spot and lenient drunk prosecutors fired
Classified Polnews
Poland continues its crackdown on drunk drivers through a two-pronged approach to making sure that the drunk driving laws have meaning.
Poland
Polish Minister of Justice Ziobro ordered that cars of drunk drivers be immediately impounded by police when they found someone driving with an alcohol level above the legal limits. See Background The program has received very little publicity in the Polish press but has apparently gotten the attention of the Polish public through the word of mouth.
Driving on the Polish roads on holiday weekends has been likened by some to attempted suicide. Not only are Polish drivers undisciplined, but the road is blanketed with drunks.
According to preliminary reports, the effort by the Minister of Justice to pickup cars and carry them off when a drunk is stopped is having effect. It of course removes the driver from the roads for a prolonged period of time but is also making other drivers more cautious about their drinking.
But the Minister of Justice is not satisfied with the way the people in the justice system are supporting his efforts to get the drunks off the road.
To make the point that he is serious, he has fired regional prosecutors who he considers too lenient on drunks. http://www.radio.com.pl/polonia/article.asp?tId=40613
Enforcement of the Polish driving laws has been for years somewhat of a joke. Paying police to ignore road infractions has been all too common. And paying lip service to the prosecution of drunk drivers has been the norm.
Perhaps the Minister of Justice will finally bring some semblance of sanity to the Polish roads.
