The truck driver, a citizen of India born in 1990, who caused a serious accident on February 18 at the Apšupe intersection (the crossing of the Riga-Liepaja and Tukums-Jelgava roads), was detained immediately after the accident, and on Friday, February 20, the Zemgale District Court in Dobele applied arrest as a preventive measure.
As "Latvijas Avīze" learned from unofficial but reliable sources, the driver was under the strong influence of drugs. Usually, in such cases, detention is not applied without good reason. Most likely, the reason was drugs.
"Latvijas Avīze" was unable to obtain any explanations from the court.
The accident occurred on February 18 at 18:50. A truck coming from Jelgava did not yield to a bus traveling from Riga to Kuldiga. A collision occurred: the bus crashed into the truck on the side in the middle - between the tractor and the trailer. The truck overturned, and the front and other structures of the bus were damaged. The truck, which was carrying mushrooms, is registered in Lithuania, and the driver was a citizen of India.
Traffic expert Oskars Irbitis, who arrived at the scene on the day of the accident, said he could not find out from the truck driver why he ignored two well-lit "Stop" signs and the road markings. After the incident, discussions erupted on social media about what kind of driver's licenses citizens of third countries (including Indians), who increasingly drive cars in Latvia as couriers (and their driving style often surprises), have, and whether their driver's licenses are checked by any Latvian institution.
As stated by the representative of the Road Traffic Safety Directorate (RTSD) Mārtiņš Malmeisters, Latvia has the same procedure as other countries in the European Union, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom: citizens of other countries can drive vehicles with driver's licenses issued in their countries for no more than one year. After that, a citizen of another country must exchange their license for one issued in the country where they obtained residency.
In Latvia, such a person must contact the RTSD, which requests information about the authenticity and validity of the driver's license from the country that issued it. If there is no response, the person must take care of obtaining such confirmation themselves. If it is impossible to obtain it, then obtaining a license in Latvia must start from scratch, just like any resident of Latvia, that is, with training. With confirmation, only exams need to be passed.
