Drunk drivers are a real scourge on the roads, not only in Bolesławiec County. How many people have lost their cars?

Since the beginning of the year, the court has considered 22 such cases – in as many as 18 cases, the cars were sent to auction. (Over 80%.)

📜 What does the law say?

Since 14 March 2024, new provisions of the Criminal Code have been in force in Poland, tightening the liability of drunk drivers.

🔹 Forfeiture of a motor vehicle or its equivalent is the rule when:

  • the driver operates the vehicle with at least 1.5 per mille of alcohol in their blood (or breath),

  • the offender causes an accident with more than 0.5 per mille,

  • the driver operates a vehicle while intoxicated under repeat-offender conditions (that is, they have previously been convicted by a final judgment for driving under the influence of alcohol).

🔹 If the car does not belong to the driver (e.g. a company car, a leased vehicle or jointly owned property), the court orders forfeiture of the vehicle’s equivalent value.

⚖️ How does this work in practice?

  • The vehicle becomes the property of the State Treasury.

  • It is taken to a storage facility or a vehicle impound lot.

  • The bailiff then sells it by auction, and the money goes into the state budget.

🚫 What does this mean for drivers?

  1. The risk of losing not only their driving licence, but also their car.

  2. Even if the car is very valuable, the regulations provide for no exceptions.

  3. In practice, as in Bolesławiec, judgments ordering the forfeiture of cars are being issued increasingly often – even after the first serious traffic stop.

What do you think about this regulation? We invite you to join the discussion.