Changes in the Highway Traffic Law: You need to know these 4 new rules now

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Parliament adopted the revision of the Road Traffic Act in its spring session. The changes will come into force gradually. The first package covers the following subject areas, among others:

The minimum penalty for speeding offenses can now be less than a year in prison if a driver was acting for “respectable purposes” or still has a clean record. Accordingly, the basic minimum suspension period of the driver’s license can be reduced from two years to twelve months. The National Council and the Council of States initially wanted the minimum sentence to be abolished. But the Roadcross Foundation’s threat of a referendum persuaded Parliament to make a U-turn.

If police, fire or medical vehicle drivers violate traffic rules during operations and their actions are later determined to be disproportionate, authorities are now required to reduce the penalty. In such cases, police officers, paramedics and firefighters will now only be penalized for the difference between speed and the speed appropriate for the operation. Until now, the maximum speed limit was used as the comparison value.

This owner liability now also applies to legal entities: If it cannot be determined who was driving a particular company car at a particular time, a fine can be imposed on the company that owns the vehicle. The same principle was previously applied to natural persons; for example if someone borrows their car.

The trial period will not be extended and the ID will not be canceled for minor traffic rules violations. The probationary period is only extended by one year if someone is forced to provide identification due to a serious or moderate violation. If a person commits a moderate or serious crime again during the probationary period, a decision to cancel is made. (SDA)

Source: Blick