The provisions are scheduled to come into force in February 2023. The amendment is currently awaiting the signature of the President of the Republic of Poland, Andrzej Duda. Under the new provisions, the car will be confiscated when the driver has at least 1.5 per mille of alcohol in their blood or causes a road accident while having at least 0.5 per mille or while subject to repeat-offender provisions.
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As we read on the money.pl website:
If the vehicle was not the offender’s exclusive property, the equivalent value of the vehicle would be forfeited; this value would be deemed to be the amount specified in the insurance policy, or, if there was no policy, the average market value corresponding to that of similar vehicles. If the offender drove a vehicle that was not their property but belonged to their employer, the court would impose a compensatory payment.
Alongside the provisions on car confiscation, penalties for drivers who cause serious bodily injury in an accident while under the influence of alcohol are also to be increased. Instead of the current maximum sentence of 12 years in prison, the court will be able to impose up to 16 years.
If the accident is caused by a professional driver operating their employer’s vehicle, the court is to impose a compensatory payment of at least PLN 5,000 for the Fund for Assistance to Victims and Post-Penitentiary Assistance.