The so-called Kamion team focused on the control of freight and passenger traffic noticed the sets with Czech registration plates driving along the highway in the direction of Prague at the 136th kilometer. He wanted to divert it to the parking area at kilometer 115 for inspection. “However, the driver left the D1 highway at the exit at the 134th kilometer near Měřín, because he apparently knew that check-weighing takes place almost daily at the parking area at the 115th kilometer. That’s why he continued along road II. class towards Jihlava,” stated Čírtková.
The only suitable place to stop and check such a large vehicle was near Řehořov in Jihlavsk, where the police discovered that the set was being transported by a Liebherr mobile crane. “The 42-year-old driver refused to submit to the policeman’s request for low-speed check weighing and refused to drive on the check scales. For this reason, the police imposed a fine on him in the order procedure in the amount of 100,000 crowns and forbade him to drive again,” said Čírtková.
He was only able to continue when the company transferred one part of the crane to the second vehicle, as was originally planned.
The granting of one hundred thousand fines was made possible by an amendment to the Act on Roads effective from January 1 last year. Previously, the maximum fine was 30,000 crowns. For the year 2021, 112 drivers refused low-speed weighing in Vysočina, last year, according to Čírtková, there were 54 drivers.
“The new points system will clearly distinguish between serious and trivial offences. More serious offenses will be punished more severely. Conversely, drivers will not pay as much in fines for minor offences. The goal is to severely punish deliberate violations of regulations that endanger other road users,” says Transport Minister Martin Kupka.
The amendment brings a whole range of changes to the points system. The introduction of only three rates of points according to severity – namely 6, 4 and 2 points – against the current five different rates is already significant.
The introduction of three rates at the same time brings fewer points for some of the most serious offenses, for example driving under the influence of alcohol or other addictive substances (over 0.3 ‰), refusing to submit to a test for alcohol and other addictive substances, entering a railway crossing without a ban, turning , reversing and driving in the opposite direction on the highway or violating the overtaking ban, the new point system awards a maximum of 6 points instead of the previous 7.
Among the most serious offenses (and therefore in the six-point ranking) will now be offenses such as running a red light (so far 5 points), exceeding the speed limit by 40 km/h in the village and 50 km/h outside the village and more (so far 5 points), endangering a pedestrian (so far 4 or 5 points) or driving a technically unfit vehicle (so far 5 points).
In the case of serious offences, however, the financial penalty will generally be increased, the rates of block fines on the spot and the upper limit of the rates of fines in administrative proceedings will be increased, according to the Ministry of Transport, in order to take into account dangerous behavior in road traffic. In the case of serious offences, the length of time during which the driver is not allowed to drive is also extended.
As far as fines and driving bans are concerned, the tightening occurs, for example, in the case of exceeding the speed by 40 km/h in the village and 50 km/h outside the village or more. While this offense currently carries an administrative fine of 5,000 to 10,000 crowns and a driving ban for 6 to 12 months, the modification of the point system comes with an administrative fine of 7,000 to 25,000 crowns and a driving ban for 6 to 18 months.
Driving under the influence of alcohol or other addictive substances (over 0.3 ‰) will now be subject to a fine of 7,000 to 25,000 crowns (currently 2,500 to 20,000 CZK) and a driving ban for up to 18 months (currently 6 to 12 months).
However, for example, the change in penalty for holding a phone while driving is also interesting. This offense will be worth 4 points (so far 2), the block fine will increase to 2,500 to 3,500 CZK (currently up to 1,000 CZK), the fine in administrative proceedings even to 4,000 to 10,000 CZK (currently 1,500 to 2,500 CZK ).
