Irina Ig. Nagornaya. The state of intoxication in transport crimes
UDK: 43.346.2
Irina Ig. Nagornaya - Candidate of Law, associate professor, Russian University of Transport (MIIT), Moscow, Russia
Abstract. The acts related to the violation of road traffic safety rules and transport operation by individuals in the state of intoxication have attracted increased attention from legislators and society. There have been made numerous amendments to the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation and other regulatory legal acts, and some issues have been subject to review by the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation, which has not resolved all the existing problems. An analysis of literature, judicial practice, and other sources allows proposing the ways to solve them. Refusal to undergo a medical examination for intoxication is considered intoxication, although it can be caused by various reasons, not just intoxication. To solve these problems, the scholars consider that it is crucial to distinguish between two elements, namely committing a crime while intoxicated and refusing to undergo the appropriate examination. The prevalence of drunk driving cases led to the introduction of a new Article 264.1 to the Russian Criminal Code, which has caused criticism from scholars who disapprove of administrative prejudice and do not see sufficient public danger in this act. The number of criminal cases under this article runs into the tens of thousands. The provisions of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation may be applied to address this issue, provided the sanctions are sufficiently severe. The inability to establish intoxication in cases where a person leaves the scene of a traffic accident makes necessary to introduce an additional qualifying element in Article 264 of the Criminal Code, the validity of which is questionable. A preferable solution may be to admit circumstantial evidence in such situations. A significant number of changes are required to prosecute drivers in the state of drug intoxication. It is critical to ensure a differentiated approach to drivers who have taken drugs, taking into account, among other things, the purpose of their use and the presence of clinical signs of intoxication.
Keywords: intoxication; transport crimes; administrative prejudice; criminalization of the act; medical examination; refusal of medical examination; leaving the scene of a road traffic accident; drug intoxication.
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Nagornaya I.I. The state of intoxication in transport crimes // Transport law and security. 2025; (3(55)):89―104.
Transport Law and Security