In France, if a driver is involved in an accident while under the influence of a substance and that leads to the death of another, they will now be charged with “homicide routier,” or road homicide. The move does not carry any new penalties, but politicians say it will still benefit the families of people who lost their lives on French roads.
The penalty was introduced by France’s prime minister, Elisabeth Borne, who announced that the new name will take over from “homicide involontaire,” or involuntary homicide. Although the move is a symbolic one, politicians say it will offer peace to victims’ families, for whom the original name did not accurately reflect the nature of the crime.
“I have listened to victims’ associations who are shocked when we speak of involuntary homicide when it involves a driver who might have been drinking alcohol or taking drugs before taking to the road,” Borne said, per The Guardian. “In response to this demand, involuntary homicide by a driver will be renamed a road homicide.”
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Efforts to crack down on drivers operating vehicles under the influence of alcohol and drugs have been ongoing for years, and France has one of the highest rates of self-reported drunk driving in the EU. The calls were renewed in February after Pierre Palmade, an actor who has appeared in Asterix films, was accused of causing an accident that injured several people and caused a pregnant woman to lose her baby. In the wake of the accident, prosecutors said the actor admitted to having taken cocaine and synthetic drugs before getting behind the wheel.
Regardless of this new naming convention, road homicide carries the same penalties as involuntary homicide did before it. That is, up to five years in prison and a fine of up to €75,000 ($84,228 USD at current exchange rates). These penalties can be increased to 10 years in jail and €150,000 ($168,456 USD) if it is determined that aggravating circumstances contributed to the crime.
“Certain people will say it’s an empty gesture, but go tell that to the families of the victims for whom ‘involuntary homicide’ is unacceptable,” said Cathy Bourgoin, the president of the Justice for Road Victims collective. “After so many years of battle, there are millions of families who have waited for this. It puts the human back into the law.”
