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2025-06-14 20:16:16
On June 11, the Greek parliament adopted a new Road Traffic Code by majority vote. The new, very strict regulations are intended to help combat the most common road traffic offences, such as speeding, driving under the influence of alcohol and using a mobile phone while driving.
If you have plans to travel to Greece by car or motorbike on your own this year, it is worth getting to know the new rules. They will apply not only to Greek citizens but to anyone driving on the roads there, and the Greek police will certainly be scrupulous in using the new law and the much higher tariffs.
According to the Greek Ministry of Transport, the tightening of the Road Traffic Code is intended to change driver behavior and help shape a new culture on the roads. The overarching goal, however, is to reduce the number of accidents throughout the country.
Greece consistently ranks above the European average in terms of road fatalities per million inhabitants. Offences such as using a mobile phone, speeding, not wearing a seat belt or helmet and driving under the influence of alcohol remain the main causes of accidents. As Deputy Minister of Infrastructure and Transport Konstantinos Kyranakis said, “ The new Road Traffic Code is not about punishment, but about prevention. […] It is a necessary response to the hard data that translates into lives lost .”
The new rules have been designed so that drivers will face increasingly harsh penalties if they repeat a specific offence.
The philosophy of punishment has also changed, as in most cases the previously used practice of taking away license plates is being abandoned in favor of personal sanctions, i.e. fines and direct removal of authorizations. The new code is to be followed by the installation of surveillance cameras on traffic lights, which will record offenses. Other modern technologies, such as license plate scanners or drones, are also to be used.
In 2024, the use of mobile phones while driving was the third cause of road accidents in Greece.
Until now, driving privileges were withdrawn for using a phone while driving, and the license plates of the vehicle used by the perpetrator were confiscated for 60 days.
The new regulations further differentiate the situation: whether an accident was caused while using a phone while driving or not.
For using a mobile phone without causing an incident on the road, the fine will be 350 euros and the driving license will be suspended for 30 days.
In the event of another such violation, you may receive a fine of 1,000 euros and your driving license may be suspended for 180 days.
Each subsequent such situation will be even more severe: the fine will be up to 2,000 euros and the driving license will be taken away for 1 year.
If using a mobile phone while travelling results in a road accident, the driver who commits such an offence for the first time will, similarly to the above, pay a fine of EUR 350 and lose his driving licence for 30 days.
However, if such situations repeat, the penalties will increase drastically. In the event of another accident, the fine will be 2,000 euros and the driving license will be taken away for 4 years. Another repetition will mean a fine of 4,000 euros and the loss of the driving license for 8 years.
Regardless of whether it is the first, second or subsequent accident caused by using a phone, the driver will also face criminal consequences under Article 290A of the Penal Code . According to this provision, a prison sentence of up to 10 years can be imposed if the accident causes serious bodily harm or damage to public facilities. In the event of causing a fatal road accident, the driver faces a prison sentence of 10 to 20 years, and if multiple people die in the accident, a life sentence may be imposed.
One in five motorcyclists in Greece does not use any head protection, and the accident statistics are alarming. As many as 38% of fatal accident victims in Greece are motorcyclists. In comparison, the European average is only 18%. The statistics for cyclists are also very high, with 4 out of 10 people killed in accidents being cyclists.
Until now, the lack of a helmet resulted in the confiscation of a vehicle's license plate and the suspension of the driving license for 60 days. A passenger without a helmet paid a fine of €50.
According to the new regulations, the lack of a helmet will result in a fine of 350 euros and a 30-day suspension of the driving license. If a passenger travels without a helmet, they will now pay the same fine as the driver, i.e. 350 euros. In such a situation, the driver will also be punished with a separate fine of 350 euros, even if they themselves wear a helmet.
The penalties will be higher if the motorcyclist commits the same offences again. For the first recidivism: the fine will increase to 1000 euros, the driving licence will be suspended for 180 days. In the case of a double recidivism, the fine will be 2000 euros, and the driving licence will be taken away for up to 1 year.
Until now, a driver's license was taken away and the vehicle's license plates were confiscated for 60 days for not wearing a seat belt. If a passenger did not wear a seat belt, they received a fine of 50 euros.
What penalties are foreseen in the new code? If the driver is not wearing a seat belt, in addition to a fine of 350 euros, they will also have their driving license suspended for 30 days. In the event that a passenger travelling in a car does not wear a seat belt, both the passenger and the driver will be fined 150 euros.
For a second such offense, the fine will be €1,000 and your driving license will be taken away for 180 days. For a third offense, you can expect to receive a fine of €2,000 and your driving license will be suspended for up to 1 year.
In 2024, drunk driving was responsible for 25% of road deaths in Greece. The new law provides for three levels of punishment depending on the driver's alcohol level.
Greece has remained liberal in terms of the minimum allowable alcohol level for drivers. Let us recall that it is up to 0.5 per mille.
Below we have listed the new penalties in force. Additionally, towing of the vehicle will be mandatory in each case.
Driving under the influence of alcohol 0.50 - 0.8 g/l
A fine of 350 euros and withdrawal of driving license for 30 days.
Driving under the influence of alcohol 0.80 - 1.10 g/l
For the first offence, a fine of €700 will be imposed and the driving licence will be suspended for 90 days. For the second offence, the fine will increase to €1,000 and the driving licence will be withdrawn for 180 days; for the third offence, the fine will be €2,000 and the driving licence will be suspended for a year.
Driving under the influence of alcohol above 1.10 g/l
For the first offense, a fine of 1,200 euros is foreseen, and the driver's license will be suspended for 180 days. For the second offense, the fine will increase to 2,000 euros, and the driver's license will be taken away for 7 years. Each subsequent offense will result in a fine of 4,000 euros and the driver's license will be withdrawn for 10 years.
In the criminal aspect, there is also a penalty of imprisonment from 2 months to 5 years and the possibility of having license plates taken away for a period from 10 days to 6 months.
Penalties for exceeding speed limits on roads will also be much more severe.
Until now, you could expect fines ranging from 20 to 175 euros and a driving licence suspension of up to 60 days.
The new regulations state that for exceeding the speed limit by 20 km/h the fine will be from 100 euros, but exceeding the speed limit by more than 50 km/h will cost 700 euros, and you must also expect your driving license to be taken away for 60 days. For the second such offense the fine will increase to 1000 euros, and your driving license will be withdrawn for 180 days. If the police catch the incorrigible offender for the third time for this offense, the fine will be 2000 euros, and you will have to say goodbye to your driving license for a year.
For “master drivers” who go crazy and exceed the speed limit by 200 km/h , the first “welcome” ticket will be painful because its rate will be 2,000 euros. To strengthen the effect, a driving license will be taken away for a year. For the second such incident, the fine will be 4,000 euros, and the license will be taken away for two years. The third time such a “pleasure” will drain savings by 8,000 euros, and the incorrigible driver will be deprived of his license for as much as 4 years.
It is also worth knowing that other offenses will be treated more severely:
i.e. running a red light has been maintained in a similar wording to the previous version of the code. The penalty is 700 euros and a 60-day suspension of the driving license. A novelty, as with other offenses, is the introduction of higher penalties for "recidivists". The second such offense will cost 1,000 euros, and the license will be taken away for 180 days. The third red light will be even more expensive: the fine will be 2,000 euros, and the license will be withdrawn for a year.
Failure to comply with this sign, which does not result in an accident , will cost €350 and a 30-day suspension of your driving license. For the second and third such offenses, the fine will increase to €1,000 and then €2,000 respectively; and the license will be withdrawn for six months and then for a year, respectively.
If a driver fails to obey a stop sign and causes an accident , the penalties provided for by Greek law will be much higher. For the first such incident, the fine will be 700 euros and the driving license will be seized for 60 days. For the second and third such offenses, the fine will increase to 2,000 and 4,000 euros respectively; and the license will be withdrawn for 4 and 8 years respectively. Here too, the penalties from Article 290A of the Penal Code apply.
The very harsh new penalties are due to the fact that this offence in Greece contributes to 16% of road accidents.
2025-06-14 20:16:16
Komentarze
Ale tylko zwiększyli wysokość mandatów czy zmienili coś jeszcze w przepisach - oprócz praktycznego zakazu kamperów - według nowych przepisów można zatrzymać się tylko na kampingach których jest mało i głównie w lipcu-sierpniu lub na terenie prywatnym ale tylko jeden kamper. Jak to będą egzekwować - się okaże.
Zamiast zabierania tablic częściej zabierać będą prawo jazdy. Wprowadzili system coraz wyższych kar za popełnianie tych samych wykroczeń oraz możliwość wytoczenia sprawy karnej. Sama wysokość mandatów też robi wrażenie.... 1000, 2000 czy 4000 euro... Mają to połączyć z automatycznym wysyłaniem mandatów na podstawie wykroczenia zarejestrowanego przez urządzenie. Zobaczymy jak wyjdzie im z realizacja zwłaszcza na wyspach gdzie lokalne spoleczności są relatywnie niewielkie i każdy zna każdego... Obawiam się że w tej sytuacji skupią się w pierwszej kolejności na turystach.
Jest sporo tych zmian, nie pisałam o wszystkim, raczej mam w planach stworzenie 2. części gdzie będzie właśnie o kamperach, pieszych, parkowaniu.
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