Process of revoking driver’s licenses of persons with drug addiction and mental disorders to be accelerated
In Armenia, it is planned to accelerate the procedure for revoking the driver’s licenses of persons with drug addiction or mental disorders. The draft amendments to the Law “On Ensuring Road Traffic Safety” were presented in the first reading in the National Assembly by the Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs, Armen Ghazaryan.
According to the draft, if the National Narcological Center provides a positive conclusion regarding a driver, the driver’s license will be automatically suspended, and the MIA (Ministry of Internal Affairs) will no longer need to submit a formal inquiry to the center or the Ministry of Health. The same procedure will apply in cases where mental illnesses are detected in a driver.
According to MIA data, between 2021 and 2025, 2,370 persons with drug addiction or mental disorders were deprived of their driver’s licenses.
According to the Deputy Minister, the change has become possible as a result of the expansion of interoperability between state electronic databases—specifically, the medical and internal affairs systems.
During the discussion, the Chairman of the NA Standing Committee on Defense and National Security, Andranik Kocharyan, also called for toughening the liability for using a phone while driving and for transporting children without special car seats, noting that last year 10 children were injured in road accidents as a result of such violations.
