In Poland, PiS proposes up to 25 years for road killing — Interia

Lawmakers from Poland’s Law and Justice party (PiS) have proposed adding a new crime to the Criminal Code — road killing. They propose setting a penalty of between eight and 25 years in prison for it. Interia reports.

Cases covered by the bill

The PiS initiative concerns cases in which a driver grossly exceeded the permitted speed by at least 100 km/h, resulting in the deaths of road users. According to MP Marcin Warchoł, the current Article 178d of the Criminal Code provides for up to five years in prison for so-called reckless driving, but the authors of the bill consider such a penalty insufficient when people die as a result of a driver’s actions.

Warchoł said that proving intent to kill — direct or indirect — in such cases is virtually impossible. In his view, the new provision should supplement the existing regulations on dangerous driving. He clarified that the proposed rule should apply regardless of whether the violation occurred within or outside a built-up area.

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Call for consideration in the Sejm

MP Michał Wójcik called on Sejm Marshal Włodzimierz Czarzasty to urgently begin work on the bill. He said that PiS is open to cooperation with other political forces and does not want to politicize the issue.

The presentation of the bill took place the day after the verdict in the case of a fatal road accident on the A1 motorway. Sebastian M. was sentenced to eight years in prison after an accident in which a family of three died. According to Interia, after serving three quarters of his sentence, he will be able to apply for parole.