Mandatory breathalyser checks for motorists in Hungary

Taking a breathalyzer test will be mandatory for motorists in Hungary whenever they are stopped by police, and citizens of other EU member states will not be able to get away without paying spot fines for infractions, Népszabadság writes. The new regulation is expected to come into effect in the middle of next year.

By July 2011, police will equip all their vehicles with electric breathalyzers - replacing the old devices which are unreliable and expensive - and officers will have to use it each time they perform a routine road check.

If the draft is passed, police will soon have the power to hold a foreign-registerd car until its owner pays a spot fine. In the future, police will have even more tools against foreigners violating traffic rules on Hungarian roads. According to a recent agreement among transport ministers of the European Union, member states will share vehicle registration data. This measure will come into effect in two or three years. Currently, 80% of vehicles caught on camera speeding on the M1 motorway are foreign registered.

• Email
• Save to My Caboodle