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Automatically translated version. May contain inaccuracies compared to the original.
“Shame!” is echoing across social media. Members of parliament defeated draft bill No. 15348 to increase fines for speeding, which at least minimally would have restrained speeders. The document was widely discussed and received loud support from the public and from MPs themselves. But it lacked one vote to be adopted in principle in the Rada.
What happened and what this could affect — in the Kurzko pro (Briefly About) piece.
What led up to it
Draft bill No. 15348 on amendments to the Code of Ukraine on Administrative Offenses was a reaction to a horrific traffic accident that occurred in the Solomianskyi district of Kyiv. On 5 June a Mercedes driver, at breakneck speed, crashed into an underground passage and killed four people. Among the dead were a kindergarten teacher, two police officers, and 12-year-old Hryhoriy Hlushysh.
A “secret” opened up to society that everyone knew but preferred not to disclose: you can violate safe driving rules a hundred times and get away with small fines until a tragedy happens. Before becoming a killer, the Mercedes driver had 39 recorded traffic violations, mostly for speeding.
The father of the deceased Hrysha — National Guard officer Oleksiy Hlushysh — with the support of the community “Mothers of Children Injured in Traffic Accidents” and civic organizations launched a wide campaign for road safety and against systematic violations. His petition gathered 25 000 votes in a matter of days and received understanding and approval from the president. Draft bill No. 15348 and its companion Nos. 15348-1 were to be the first steps toward a comprehensive program to strengthen road safety.
Before the vote, Oleksiy Hlushysh recorded a two-minute address to the Rada, where he asked for these first steps to be taken.
What was proposed
The essence of draft bill No. 15348 was a graduated scale of fines for speeding violations:
exceeding the limit by more than 20 km/h — 680 UAH;
more than 40 km/h — 2040 UAH;
more than 60 km/h — 2720 UAH;
more than 80 km/h — 3400 UAH.
It also took into account that when a driver exceeds the speed by 60 or 80 km/h and has already received five administrative penalties within a year, they would be fined 17 000 UAH.
The companion bill 15348-1, developed on a civic initiative, provided for increased responsibility for repeated violations within a year concerning pedestrian crossings, intersections, overtaking and passing, driving without a license, and by persons restricted from driving. There was also a provision that would bring us closer to Europe — abolishing the “impunity threshold” from 20 km/h to 10 km/h. And longer terms of license suspension for drivers who caused fatal accidents. That document was also cut down.
“A day of shame and disgrace,” called it on 16 September MP Roman Lozynskyi. “I really don't want any MP to have a tragedy that sobers them up. I'm afraid for my son with those speeders in the city or on the highway,” he said.
“…And I'm very angry, because I came to parliament in my ninth month of pregnancy for this vote. Unfortunately, my vote did not count by two,” said Inna Sovsun about her emotions.
“Every subsequent death on Ukrainian roads is largely on the conscience of those who maliciously did not vote ‘for’ today. And this is not an exaggeration, but a direct cause-and-effect link. Because the legislation encourages impunity for violators on the roads,” wrote co-coordinator of the Space of Freedom movement Taras Shamayda.
What can be expected
Interestingly, for No. 15348 there were zero “against” votes. Of the 301 deputies who were present in the chamber, 8 abstained, 62 simply did not press the button. A similar situation occurred with Nos. 15348-1: no one objects, they are just quietly sabotaging.
“This was a very mild increase in penalties and only for exceeding the speed limit. Other problems, such as repeat offenses, were not even touched. One can only assume that among deputies there are conscious speeders or they have relatives with fancy cars who can't imagine driving at a normal speed,” transport analyst Oleksandr Hrechko commented to Kurzko pro. “The bill was deliberately buried, covered by manipulations that poor drivers would be harmed, while privileged drivers would still violate and pay.”
The expert emphasizes that this was only about the first reading.
“The bill could have been revised, deputies could have changed something even to their advantage, but they chose an easier path — to interrupt the discussion.”
The position of the deputies was responded to by NSDC Secretary Ihor Klymenko: “It's sad that road safety is still not a priority. But we do not stop. At the president's instruction, together with the relevant agencies and the public, we will continue to work on solutions that directly affect people's lives and health,” he wrote on his Telegram channel. However, he did not disclose the content of possible measures. Meanwhile, for more than a year a bill on introducing penalty points for repeat offenses has lain dormant in the Verkhovna Rada, and there is less and less hope that deputies will take interest in it.
“New bills are needed, but what they will be, who will submit them, and when that will happen we do not know. The search for solutions is once again being stretched out over time. I personally hope for a presidential initiative, which has a better chance of moving quickly, and that the changes will be voted on. Right now the biggest positive we have regarding the regulation of road traffic is the three police patrol ‘phantom’ vehicles that returned at the end of August to the roads of Kyiv and the Kyiv region,” Oleksandr Hrechko concluded.
Meanwhile
As a small consolation — on 16 September the Rada adopted in the first reading draft bill No. 15358 on fines for drivers exceeding allowable engine and exhaust noise levels. This targets those fancy cars and bikes that scare citizens and disorient air defense because their roar resembles enemy rockets. The bill envisages that for such antics during martial law a fine of 17 000 hryvnias is due, for a repeat offense — 34 000 with deprivation of the right to drive vehicles for 3 to 6 months.
Document: PDF proof of the original version of the news item "Просто не голосували: чому депутати саботували законопроєкт про покарання за перевищення швидкості". It records the publication content at the moment of the first scan, the preservation date and the source: KP.UA.
