I propose to abolish the possibility of paying "half the fine" under the Offences Act.
According to this law, the offender can pay half of the fine if he/she pays it within 16 days of the payment order or the decision on the offence and waives the request for judicial protection. I propose this for the following reasons:
- A number of Slovenes, because of their poverty, are unable to pay the fine within the required time limit, but if they do pay the fine, they waive judicial protection, even though they may not have committed the offence at all and the amount paid increases their poverty.
- The offender who is "better off" will pay half of the penalty within the required time limit and thus waive the protection of the courts, even though he may not have committed the offence at all,
- The offender who has actually committed the offence and has no point in appealing also has the option of paying half, which is absurd in the light of the above two examples.
For these reasons, I wonder whether the float is actually intended to sanction complaints and raise funds. From the above, I conclude that it certainly does not increase road safety, nor is it fair, and I therefore propose that the option of half-payment be abolished or, alternatively, that all float penalties be reduced, and that the offender should have the option of an unsanctioned appeal (judicial redress) in any event.