Harsher fines and driving at 17: Czech traffic laws to change

Drivers in the Czech Republic should brace for big changes in driving penalties.

The new legislation, which still needs the vote of Czech lawmakers, includes a range of different-priced fines for driving offenses. Cash fines for serious violations will increase for most misdemeanors, and the system of issuing penalty points will be simplified.

Fines for drunk driving, refusing an alcohol test, and running a red light will all increase. Offenses such as illegally driving through a railway crossing will see the penalty increase up to five times.

People who talk on the phone while driving face a penalty increase of up to 200 percent, while those exceeding the speed limit are liable to pay up to CZK 25,000 in fines and administrative proceedings, from a maximum of CZK 10,000 before. People also risk losing their driving license on the spot for speed limit violations.

The on-the-spot fine for failing to stop at a pedestrian crossing will cost up to CZK 10,000 more.

Not all offenses come with heavier fines, though. Drivers with incorrectly lit lights and who park wrongly will pay CZK 500 less on the spot. Failure to provide proof of identity and driving without a seatbelt will also carry lighter fines.

Alongside the changes in monetary fines, the system of point penalties will also change. It will become simpler – changing to three bands of point penalties from the current five. Drivers will therefore be punished either by two, four, or six points.

This means that people caught drunk driving or refusing an alcohol test will be deducted six points rather than the current seven. People overtaking dangerously will also be deducted four points instead of the current five. Driving with a suspended license – an offense currently worth seven points – will now be penalized with four points.

Failure to stop a vehicle without a delay after an accident will also become a four-point penalty, from seven.

However, some point penalties will increase. Serious speeding offenses will increase from five to six points. Driving that endangers pedestrians will warrant a six-point fine, from five presently.

A detailed breakdown of the proposed new cash and point penalties can be found in a table here.

The total number of points that it takes to lose your license – 12 – will not change.

The legal driving age could also be lowered to 17 (with the presence of an experienced mentor, meaning someone who has had a driving license for at least 10 years). This means that people as young as 15 and a half will be able to enroll in a driving school.

The move is said to “contribute to greater safety on the roads” through 17-year-olds driving “under the supervision of an experienced driver-mentor,” writes ČTK. 

Young people will also face greater scrutiny while driving. In the event of a young driver committing a “serious misdemeanor or criminal offense” within two years from the issuance of their license, they will face a minimum six-point penalty, and will need to attend a mandatory “traffic-psychology lecture” as well as training for novice drivers. The offender will have one year to complete these, or else reacquire their driving license. 

Annual traffic accidents in Czechia increased from about 75,000 in 2009 to 100,000 in 2021, data from Seznam Zprávy shows. The proposed new amendment is scheduled to come into force starting in January 2024.