CRIMINAL LIABILITY FOR THE VIOLATION OF THE ROAD TRAFFIC REGULATIONS AND VEHICLE OPERATION REGULATIONS

Abstract

The constant increase in the number of vehicles in Latvia during the last twenty years has significantly increased the intensity of road traffic, thus causing an increase in the number of road traffic accidents. Holding a person criminally liable under Section 260 of the Criminal Law that provides for liability for the violation of the road traffic regulations and vehicle operation regulations is mostly affected by the precise determination of what a breach of these regulations is. However, there are several open theoretical and practical questions and the most important of which are shortcomings in the definition of a vehicle in Section 261 of the Criminal Law, which, as theoretical research and case-law has shown, hinders the achievement of the aim of the legal provision included in Section 260 of the Criminal Law in accordance with its meaning.