Green light for 'reckless driving law': An end to road rampages and lenient penalties

(Patria) - The term reckless driving has been introduced into BiH legislation for the first time today, with drastically stricter sanctions for offenders.

The House of Peoples of the BiH Parliament adopted the Law on Amendments to the Law on the Fundamentals of Road Traffic Safety in BiH at an urgent session and under an urgent procedure.

One of the proposers of this legal solution, which he called the "reckless driving law," was MP in the BiH Parliament Saša Magazinović.

In a social media post, Magazinović wrote that years of persistence to put an end to the conscious endangerment of human lives on the roads have paid off.

According to him, the key change lies in the fact that the state is clearly defining for the first time what constitutes reckless behavior in traffic.

The new legal framework precisely defines offenses that will henceforth be treated as reckless driving:

‣ Multiple red light violations: Two or more times within a 20-minute interval;

‣ Extreme speeding: More than 40 km/h in a populated area and more than 60 km/h outside populated areas;

‣ Dangerous overtaking: Overtaking a column of vehicles over a solid line.

‣ Severe alcoholism and narcotics: Driving with more than 1.5 g/kg of alcohol in the blood or under the influence of drugs.

Magazinović stated that the penalties will no longer be symbolic. In addition to high fines and penalty points, the law introduces the possibility of temporary, and even permanent, confiscation of vehicles for the most serious and repeated offenses.

A provision that prevents evading responsibility by refusing drug testing, which has been a common loophole used by irresponsible drivers, is particularly emphasized.

Explaining the need for such a law, Magazinović recalled the numerous young lives lost whose tragedies have become part of everyday life.

"A state that does not protect people on the streets and roads very quickly ceases to inspire trust anywhere else," Magazinović stated, concluding that tragedies must not and cannot be a normal part of social reality.

The application of the new rules is expected to significantly increase safety in urban areas, where races and reckless behavior have so far gone with minimal sanctions.