MOSCOW, June 29 (RAPSI) – Starting July 1, repeat drunk driving offenders could be sentenced to two years in prison, Alexander Bykov, deputy head of the road safety, special events and law enforcement department under the Interior Ministry’s Main Directorate for Road Traffic Safety, told journalists on Monday.

Amendments to the law adopted in December 2013 will be effective on July 1. They provide, in part, harsher penalties for repeat drunk driving violations and for repeat offenders suspected of driving under the influence who refuse to undergo a breathalyzer test.

The harshest penalty for these offenses is up to two years in prison and a three-year driver’s license suspension.

“The guilty party is considered to be an offender from the day the administrative penalty comes into effect and for a year after the penalty has been satisfied. If a driver’s license suspension has expired but the accompanying fine has not been paid, the duration of the penalty will start on the day the fine is paid,” Bykov said.

He added that the amendments would increase the minimum penalties for drunk driving accidents involving fatalities to two or four years in prison, depending on the nature of the crime.