Road safety: the effectiveness of criminal law protection
The article analyses the effectiveness of preventive effects of criminal punishment stipulated in the article 264 of the criminal code of the Russian Federation. In the course of the study, it is established that lawmaker, during the validity of the Criminal code of Russian Federation as of 1996, has consistently limited the scope of criminal penalty in the field of road safety and has reduced the size of the criminal charge of deposits for violations of traffic rules by drivers. These changes have led to a qualitative weakening of criminal law protection of road safety, life and health of drivers, pedestrians and other road users. After the changes brought in item 264 of the criminal code of the Russian Federation in 2003, the number of convicts under this article has considerably decreased. However, by 2014, this number is almost restored to the level of 2003. While the harm caused by them, increased substantially. The deteriorating situation is evidenced by the growth of the total number of victims of road accidents, as well as by an increase in the number of deaths caused by alcohol-impaired driving. Establishing criminal responsibility for violation of traffic rules by a person previously subject to administrative penalties for alcohol-impaired driving, is unable to fully remedy the situation. The article shows that forecasted reduction in mortality in the absolute efficiency of the measure will not exceed 10%, which is not enough to improve the situation.