According to a report, anyone who has not caused personal injury should no longer commit a crime if they leave without permission, but only an administrative offence.
Anyone involved in a car accident in Germany is not allowed to leave, but must remain at the scene of the accident for a “reasonable amount of time” and identify themselves as involved. Escape from an accident is considered a criminal offence, and there is a risk of a fine or up to three years in prison.
Federal Minister of Justice Marco Buschmann (FDP) apparently wants to change that in part and decriminalize accident escape in many cases. Anyone who does not cause personal injury but only damage to property should no longer commit a criminal offense in the event of an accident, but only an administrative offence. This is reported by the editorial network Germany (RND) citing a key issues paper by the Justice Department.
A misdemeanor carries less legal weight than a criminal offence. She will not be prosecuted by the public prosecutor’s office and will not be entered in the criminal record. There is no imprisonment, just a fine.
The downgrading “would counteract an undifferentiated criminalization of the person who caused the accident,” the RND quotes from the paper and summarizes: “Anyone who causes an accident with body damage in the future while under the influence of alcohol should no longer be legally forced to stay at the scene of the accident and also report drunkenness risk at the wheel.”
According to the report, the Ministry of Justice is also considering setting up an online reporting point where those involved in the accident can upload pictures of the location and damage. A “damage report to be attached to the damaged vehicle” is also conceivable, “if carried out properly, there would be no statutory action”.