New drunk driving legislation could create traffic jams in the Polish courts

It is very possible Polish courts will stop operating in just over two months when all drunk driving cases will find their way to court. Up until now these cases have been dealt with by a body of citizens having jurisdiction over minor offenses. Judges say there are not enough resources to deal with the case load. The courts have received no money, nor people to help it. Moreover, although it is not known how many cases the courts will have to deal with when the law changes on Dec. 15, the judges are talking about the "blotting effect" that will paralyze the justice system. Court representatives also say these cases could linger in the system for six years which could be a problem because during that time the accused would be banned from driving. (Zycie, page 3)