Constitutional Tribunal unanimously sides with drunk drivers and drug users. No more mandatory, life driving bans

Zdjęcie: Trybunał Konstytucyjny jednogłośnie po stronie pijanych kierowców i prowadzących pod wpływem narkotyków. Koniec z obligatoryjnym, dożywotnim zakazem prowadzenia pojazdów Shutterstock


On April 23, 2025, the Constitutional Tribunal announced a judgement (reference number P 3/17), in which it found Article 42 paragraph 4 of the Penal Code - insofar as it obliges the court to impose a life ban on driving motor vehicles - to be inconsistent with the Constitution. The legislator cannot replace the court in its adjudicative activity and imposition of punishment, taking into account only the fact of committing a given prohibited act, and not - the characteristics of the circumstantial perpetrator, the circumstances of the act and the degree of culpability.