There are no automated systems that allow companies to check, for example, daily whether a driver still has a driver’s license. I know that representatives of transport companies have been looking for this for a long time, – said Dorota Olszewska, president of the Road Safety Partnership Management Board, on TVN24.
On Friday in Warsaw, the bus driver ran over a 14-year-old boy at the pedestrian crossing, did not help him and fled the scene. The teenager was taken to the hospital, where he died.
The 43-year-old bus driver was arrested on Saturday evening. He heard the accusations. Prosecutor Piotr Skiba, spokesman for the Warsaw District Prosecutor’s Office, said the suspect worked as a driver and warehouseman in a courier company. He had previous convictions, a suspended driver’s license and was banned from driving from April 2023.
READ MORE: 14-year-old bus driver charged with death. New information from the prosecutor’s office
Olshevska: there is no automatic system
Dorota Olszewska, chairman of the board of directors of the Partnership for Road Safety, was asked on TVN24’s “You stand up and know” on Tuesday whether companies that employ drivers have tools to determine whether someone has a driver’s license.
– The employer must request such declaration and presentation of driver’s license on the working day. He said it would be more difficult later because there are no automated systems that would allow, for example, daily checks to see if a driver still has a driver’s license.
He noted that when “we’ve increased the penalty points and you can lose your driver’s license for the day,” then “a good fleet manager, the person in charge of these drivers should be checking it regularly.”
– There is no automatic system that allows this, – noted Olszewska. – I know that representatives of transportation institutions have been looking for this for a long time. I think that at this time, when automation is at such a high level, we need to catch up with it as soon as possible, he said.
He mentioned that we can personally go to the gov.pl website and check there how many penalty points we have. – However, the employer cannot do this, – he added.
“Without automation and continuous monitoring, we cannot overcome it”
In response to the comment that the ban on driving by the court in practice is a trick and a myth, because from time to time accidents happen and it turns out that the perpetrators are people who have such a ban, he said that “without automation and control We can’t get rid of it.”
– Because as you can see, the drivers who decide to drive after several court bans are irresponsible people who do not comply with such restrictive sanctions, – he added.
Another issue, he said, is that “if a driver who is arrested after a second driving ban fails to comply with this provision, will he be free to drive and use that car at all?”
– It is clear that he simply does not respect the law, therefore, there should be a particularly severe punishment here, – she said.
Deputy Minister for strengthening regulations
Deputy Minister of Justice Arkadiusz Mircea said at a press conference on Monday that the Ministry of Infrastructure, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Administration and the Ministry of Justice are working on a package that will introduce tougher penalties for drivers with court bans. He explained that now the bill is going to public consultations so that it reaches the president’s desk as soon as possible. The deputy minister assumed that the work will be completed already in the middle of the year.
– The rules for criminals who drive under a court ban will become stricter. Any such person should consider that they can avoid prison. Our opportunities to limit the application of conditional sentences are limited to a minimum, said Mircea.
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