The Latvian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) has criticized the Transport Ministry’s proposed amendments to the Road Traffic Law, which would tighten age verification, driver’s license requirements, and alcohol or substance testing for users of shared mobility vehicles.
According to LCCI Board Chairman Jānis Endziņš, these changes fail to address one key issue — how to verify foreign driver’s licenses.
Endziņš wrote in a letter to the Saeima Committee on Economic, Agricultural, Environmental and Regional Policy that, since there is no unified database, verifying foreign driver’s licenses would be impossible or disproportionately expensive, particularly for tourists, who make up a significant share of service users.
Regarding reaction tests, Endziņš noted that the highest risks occur at specific times — for instance, weekend nights. Just as the State Police conduct targeted operations during nights and weekends, LCCI suggests that reaction tests should only be required during high-risk periods.
A compromise, he said, would be to introduce tests only on Friday and Saturday nights,
for example, between midnight and 6:00 a.m. Such a targeted approach would address the root of the problem more effectively.
LCCI also questioned how reaction test data will be stored and processed, emphasizing the risk that this information — which may indirectly reveal a person’s health condition or level of fatigue — could be used for unintended purposes.
The chamber believes that greater focus and resources should be dedicated to public education campaigns on the dangers of driving under the influence. Endziņš also stressed that Latvia already has strict national policies regarding alcohol consumption limits.
Given that the transport sector has previously raised concerns about the suitability of such measures, it would be more appropriate to first assess the impact and effectiveness of existing regulations before introducing new restrictions, LCCI argues.
As reported,
the Saeima will soon hold the third reading of the Transport Ministry’s amendments to the Road Traffic Law,
which propose tighter age checks, driver’s license verification, and alcohol or substance tests for shared mobility users. The discussion follows the Consumer Rights Protection Centre (PTAC) decision on the 2nd of October to suspend the operations of e-bike sharing operator “Ride Mobility”, after Riga Mayor Viesturs Kleinbergs called for a review of the company’s activities.
The move came in response to a tragic accident in which two 12-year-old girls were killed after being struck by a train in Imanta while riding a Ride Mobility e-bike. On Friday, PTAC announced it would impose an administrative penalty on Ride Mobility for failing to suspend operations following the centre’s order.
PTAC also urged consumers — especially young people and their parents — to use shared mobility vehicles responsibly, following provider terms and traffic laws. The centre warned that using electric scooters and other micromobility devices without proper age checks and preparedness poses serious risks to both users and bystanders.
Read also: BNN IN FOCUS | The opposition could influence Latvia’s budget process. The question is – why isn’t it doing so?