Court cases 2019–2026
89
95 people killed
Plea agreement or summary procedure
78 %
full trial: 22%
Did not go to prison
69 %
full prison term served: 13%
Drunk or drugged driver went to prison
76 %
sober driver: 18%
From crash to ruling
1 y 3 m
half of cases: 10 m – 1 y 9 m
In 2019–2026, Riigi Teataja published 89 court rulings in which a driver was convicted of causing a death on the road (95 people killed). 78% of the cases ended with a plea agreement or summary procedure, and 69% of those convicted did not spend a single day in prison. Intoxication made the biggest difference: 76% of drunk or drugged drivers went to prison, compared with 18% of sober drivers.
Court cases per year
By year of the first-instance ruling. *2026 is incomplete: latest published ruling 8 September 2026; rulings are published only after they take effect.
11
2019
11
2020
16
2021
10
2022
5
2023
15
2024
15
2025
6
2026*
§ 422 – intentional traffic violation (e.g. intoxication, speeding) (43)§ 423 – negligence (46)
Why not every death reaches court
According to the Transport Administration, there were 358 fatal road accidents and 387 deaths in 2019–2025. The table compares them with court cases by year of the accident.
| Accident year | Fatal accidents | Deaths | All involved died | Someone survived | Court cases |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 51 | 52 | 12 | 39 | 10 |
| 2020 | 55 | 59 | 15 | 40 | 13 |
| 2021 | 52 | 55 | 17 | 35 | 10 |
| 2022 | 47 | 50 | 13 | 34 | 8 |
| 2023 | 52 | 59 | 12 | 40 | 11 |
| 2024 | 64 | 69 | 19 | 45 | 10 |
| 2025 | 37 | 43 | 9 | 28 | 5 |
| Total | 358 | 387 | 97 | 261 | 67 |
- In 27% of accidents (97), everyone involved died – usually a driver alone in the car who left the road. No criminal case is possible.
- Of the remaining 261 accidents, 67 ended in a court ruling. For accidents up to 2023, whose cases are mostly completed, the share is 28%.
- If no fault is found on the part of the surviving driver, there is no crime. Pedestrians died in 91 accidents: 26 on a pedestrian crossing (14 court cases) and 65 elsewhere (9 court cases).
- Proceedings may be closed by the prosecutor; such decisions are not published in Riigi Teataja (we found 5 closures that became public through a court).
- It usually takes 1 y 3 m from the crash to the ruling, so some recent cases are still pending.
Pedestrians: on a crossing and elsewhere
On a crossing (26 accidents) – court cases14 · 54 %
Elsewhere (65 accidents) – court cases9 · 14 %
On a pedestrian crossing the driver must give way, so a violation there is usually clear. Elsewhere the driver is criminally liable when they broke the rules themselves – for example by being intoxicated, speeding, using a phone or not watching the road. 42 fatal pedestrian accidents happened in the dark, 23 of them outside a crossing and outside built-up areas. A reflector makes a pedestrian visible in dipped headlights from about 150 m; without one, often only from 20–50 m.
How the case ended
Plea agreement48 · 54 %
Summary procedure (sentence −1/3)21 · 24 %
General procedure (full trial)20 · 22 %
In a plea agreement the prosecutor and the accused agree on the sentence and the court approves it. In summary procedure the court decides on the case file and the law reduces the sentence by a third. 27 cases were appealed; in 12 the higher court changed the sentence or the legal qualification.
Who died
Driver or passenger of another vehicle30 · 34 %
Pedestrian27 · 30 %
Passenger in the offender's vehicle14 · 16 %
Motorcyclist or moped rider9 · 10 %
Cyclist6 · 7 %
Not stated3 · 3 %
Court cases only, so the person who caused the crash always survived. When the person at fault dies, there is no court case – those deaths are in the section “Why not every death reaches court” (e.g. 97 accidents in which everyone involved died).
What the sentence was
All (89)13 %18 %69 %
Drunk or drugged driver (21)48 %29 %24 %
Sober driver (68)15 %82 %
§ 422 – intentional traffic violation (e.g. intoxication, speeding) (43)26 %26 %49 %
§ 423 – negligence (46)11 %87 %
Entire prison term servedPart served (usually 1–6 months), rest suspended
No prison (suspended sentence)
- The median prison sentence is 1 y 11 m (4 y for drunk or drugged drivers, 1 y 6 m for sober ones).
- When the driver had to go to prison, the median time actually served was 6 m (4 y for drunk or drugged drivers, 2 m for sober ones).
- The driving licence was revoked in 36 of 89 cases, median 1 y. Often the driver had no licence or the court did not impose this additional penalty.
- A suspended sentence comes with a probation period (median 2 y): a new offence means serving the prison term.
What caused it
As described in the charge and ruling; one case may have several causes.
Intoxication (alcohol, drugs, medication)21 · 24 %
Exceeding the speed limit19 · 21 %
Speed unsuitable for conditions15 · 17 %
Phone or other distraction5 · 6 %
Fatigue or health condition3 · 3 %
No driving licence9 · 10 %
Left the scene5 · 6 %
Passenger without a seat belt2 · 2 %
Type of crash
Drifting into the oncoming lane17 · 19 %
Hit on a pedestrian crossing16 · 18 %
Running off the road12 · 13 %
Failure to give way (junction, turn)11 · 12 %
Rear-end collision10 · 11 %
Pedestrian hit elsewhere8 · 9 %
Reversing4 · 4 %
Overtaking4 · 4 %
Passenger fell in public transport2 · 2 %
Other or not stated5 · 6 %
How long until the ruling
under 6 months4 · 5 %
6–12 months20 · 24 %
1–1.5 years25 · 30 %
1.5–2 years17 · 20 %
2–3 years11 · 13 %
over 3 years6 · 7 %
From the crash to the first-instance ruling. Median by procedure: plea agreement 1 y 2 m, summary procedure 1 y 5 m, full trial 1 y 9 m. When a case was appealed, the final ruling usually took 2 y. The longest case took 6 y 1 m.
All court cases
Each row is one court case. To protect the people involved we do not show names, courts, dates or case numbers, and each crash is described only by its general type. Click a column header to sort.
| Ruling | Type | Victim | Offender's vehicle | Causes | Section, procedure | Sentence | Actually in prison? | Time to ruling | Appeal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Rear-end collision | Driver or passenger of another vehicle | Bus, tram or trolleybus | speed unsuitable for conditions | § 423 Plea agreement | 1 y prison – suspended, probation 2 y | NO | 1 y 10 m | – |
| 2026 | Hit on a pedestrian crossing | Pedestrian | Car or van | – | § 423 Plea agreement | 1 y prison – suspended, probation 2 y; licence revoked for 4 m | NO | 1 y | – |
| 2026 | Pedestrian hit elsewhere | Pedestrian | Bus, tram or trolleybus | phone / distraction | § 422 Plea agreement | 2 y prison – suspended, probation 2 y 3 m | NO | 1 y 2 m | – |
| 2026 | Rear-end collision | Cyclist | Car or van | phone / distraction | § 422 General procedure (full trial) | 3 y prison – 3 m served, rest suspended, probation 3 y; licence revoked for 1 y | YES 3 m | 1 y 8 m | – |
| 2026 | Running off the road | Passenger in the offender's vehicle 2 killed | Car or van | intoxication, speeding | § 422 General procedure (full trial) | 5 y prison – all served; licence revoked for 1 y 6 m | YES 5 y | 7 m | – |
| 2026 | Pedestrian hit elsewhere | Pedestrian | Car or van | fatigue / health | § 423 Plea agreement | released from punishment, placed under supervision for 1 y | NO | 8 m | – |
| 2025 | Drifting into the oncoming lane | Passenger in the offender's vehicle | Car or van | – | § 422 Plea agreement | 3 y prison – suspended, probation 3 y | NO | 1 y 3 m | – |
| 2025 | Pedestrian hit elsewhere | Pedestrian | Car or van | speeding, phone / distraction | § 422 Plea agreement | 2 y 4 m prison – suspended, probation 3 y; licence revoked for 4 m | NO | 7 m | – |
| 2025 | Failure to give way (junction, turn) | Cyclist | Car or van | speed unsuitable for conditions | § 423 Plea agreement | 2 y 1 m prison – suspended, probation 2 y 3 m | NO | 1 y 2 m | – |
| 2025 | Hit on a pedestrian crossing | Pedestrian | Car or van | speeding | § 423 General procedure (full trial) | 1 y 3 m prison – 1 m served, rest suspended, probation 2 y | YES 1 m | 2 y 2 m | sentence changed |
| 2025 | Failure to give way (junction, turn) | Motorcyclist or moped rider | Car or van | – | § 423 Plea agreement | 1 y 3 m prison – suspended, probation 1 y 6 m | NO | 1 y | – |
| 2025 | Rear-end collision | Driver or passenger of another vehicle | Car or van | speed unsuitable for conditions | § 423 General procedure (full trial) | 2 y prison – 1 m served, rest suspended, probation 3 y | YES 1 m | 3 y 8 m | sentence changed |
| 2025 | Reversing | Pedestrian | Car or van | no licence, phone / distraction | § 422 Plea agreement | 4 y 8 m prison – suspended, probation 5 y | NO | 2 y 4 m | – |
| 2025 | Drifting into the oncoming lane | Driver or passenger of another vehicle | Truck | speed unsuitable for conditions | § 423 General procedure (full trial) | 1 y 6 m prison – suspended, probation 2 y; licence revoked for 1 y | NO | 1 y 1 m | – |
| 2025 | Running off the road | Passenger in the offender's vehicle | Car or van | passenger unbelted | § 422 Plea agreement | 3 y prison – 2 m served, rest suspended, probation 3 y; licence revoked for 1 y | YES 2 m | 1 y 7 m | – |
| 2025 | Drifting into the oncoming lane | Driver or passenger of another vehicle | Truck | speeding, speed unsuitable for conditions | § 422 Summary procedure (sentence −1/3) | 2 y prison – 2 m served, rest suspended, probation 3 y | YES 2 m | 3 y 6 m | sentence changed |
| 2025 | Hit on a pedestrian crossing | Pedestrian | Car or van | – | § 423 Plea agreement | 1 y 6 m prison – suspended, probation 2 y | NO | 1 y 6 m | – |
| 2025 | Pedestrian hit elsewhere | Pedestrian | Truck | – | § 423 Plea agreement | 1 y 6 m prison – suspended, probation 2 y | NO | 7 m | – |
| 2025 | Failure to give way (junction, turn) | Motorcyclist or moped rider | Car or van | – | § 423 General procedure (full trial) | 1 y 10 m prison – suspended, probation 2 y 6 m; licence revoked for 6 m | NO | 1 y 5 m | appealed |
| 2025 | Running off the road | Passenger in the offender's vehicle | Car or van | intoxication, passenger unbelted | § 422 Plea agreement | 3 y prison – suspended, probation 3 y; licence revoked for 5 m | NO | 8 m | – |
| 2025 | Hit on a pedestrian crossing | Pedestrian | Car or van | intoxication, speeding | § 422 General procedure (full trial) | 8 y prison – all served; licence revoked for 2 y 6 m | YES 8 y | 9 m | appealed |
| 2024 | Overtaking | Driver or passenger of another vehicle | Car or van | – | § 422 Plea agreement | 1 y 5 m prison – suspended, probation 2 y; licence revoked for 6 m | NO | 7 m | – |
| 2024 | Drifting into the oncoming lane | Driver or passenger of another vehicle | Car or van | speed unsuitable for conditions | § 423 General procedure (full trial) | 1 y 6 m prison – suspended, probation 2 y; licence revoked for 6 m | NO | 1 y 9 m | appealed |
| 2024 | Running off the road | Passenger in the offender's vehicle | Car or van | speeding, no licence, left the scene | § 422 Plea agreement | 4 y prison – 6 m served, rest suspended, probation 4 y 2 m | YES 6 m | 1 y 3 m | – |
| 2024 | Overtaking | Motorcyclist or moped rider 2 killed | Car or van | – | § 423 General procedure (full trial) | 3 y prison – 2 m served, rest suspended, probation 3 y 6 m; licence revoked for 1 y | YES 2 m | 2 y 8 m | sentence changed |
| 2024 | Rear-end collision | Driver or passenger of another vehicle | Car or van | intoxication, speeding | § 422 Plea agreement | 2 y 6 m prison – suspended, probation 3 y; licence revoked for 10 m | NO | 9 m | – |
| 2024 | Running off the road | Passenger in the offender's vehicle | Car or van | intoxication | § 422 Summary procedure (sentence −1/3) | 3 y 4 m prison – 4 m served, rest suspended; licence revoked for 6 m | YES 4 m | 1 y 7 m | – |
| 2024 | Hit on a pedestrian crossing | Pedestrian | Bus, tram or trolleybus | – | § 423 Plea agreement | 1 y 5 m prison – suspended, probation 2 y | NO | 8 m | – |
| 2024 | Drifting into the oncoming lane | Not stated | Car or van | speed unsuitable for conditions | § 423 Summary procedure (sentence −1/3) | 1 y 4 m prison – suspended, probation 2 y 6 m | NO | 1 y | – |
| 2024 | Hit on a pedestrian crossing | Pedestrian | Car or van | – | § 423 Plea agreement | 1 y 3 m prison – suspended, probation 1 y 6 m | NO | 1 y 2 m | – |
| 2024 | Running off the road | Passenger in the offender's vehicle 2 killed | Car or van | intoxication, no licence, speeding | § 422 Summary procedure (sentence −1/3) | 2 y 8 m prison – suspended, probation 4 y | NO | 1 y 1 m | – |
| 2024 | Hit on a pedestrian crossing | Pedestrian | Car or van | intoxication, no licence, left the scene | § 422 Summary procedure (sentence −1/3) | 4 y prison – all served; licence revoked for 1 y 6 m | YES 4 y | 1 y 11 m | – |
| 2024 | Other or not stated | Not stated | Car or van | fatigue / health | § 423 Summary procedure (sentence −1/3) | 1 y prison – suspended | NO | 2 y 1 m | – |
| 2024 | Drifting into the oncoming lane | Passenger in the offender's vehicle | Car or van | intoxication, no licence, speeding | § 422 Summary procedure (sentence −1/3) | 2 y 4 m prison – 6 m served, rest suspended | YES 6 m | 1 y 7 m | sentence changed |
| 2024 | Drifting into the oncoming lane | Driver or passenger of another vehicle | Car or van | – | § 423 Plea agreement | 7 m prison – suspended, probation 1 y | NO | 3 y 7 m | – |
| 2024 | Hit on a pedestrian crossing | Pedestrian | Car or van | intoxication, speeding | § 422 Plea agreement | 5 y prison – all served; licence revoked for 2 y | YES 5 y | 2 m | – |
| 2023 | Running off the road | Passenger in the offender's vehicle | Car or van | intoxication | § 422 Summary procedure (sentence −1/3) | 2 y 8 m prison – 6 m served, rest suspended, probation 5 y; licence revoked for 3 y | YES 6 m | 1 y 6 m | sentence changed |
| 2023 | Rear-end collision | Cyclist | Car or van | speed unsuitable for conditions | § 423 Plea agreement | 2 y prison – suspended, probation 2 y | NO | – | – |
| 2023 | Hit on a pedestrian crossing | Pedestrian | Bus, tram or trolleybus | – | § 423 Plea agreement | 1 y 6 m prison – suspended, probation 1 y 7 m | NO | 2 y 9 m | – |
| 2023 | Running off the road | Passenger in the offender's vehicle | Car or van | intoxication, speeding | § 422 General procedure (full trial) | 3 y 6 m prison – 1 m served, rest suspended, probation 3 y 6 m; licence revoked for 1 y | YES 1 m | 2 y | sentence changed |
| 2023 | Hit on a pedestrian crossing | Cyclist | Motorcycle | speeding | § 422 Plea agreement | 2 y prison – suspended, probation 3 y | NO | 6 m | – |
| 2022 | Reversing | Pedestrian | Truck | – | § 423 Plea agreement | 1 y prison – suspended, probation 1 y | NO | 11 m | – |
| 2022 | Failure to give way (junction, turn) | Motorcyclist or moped rider | Car or van | – | § 423 Summary procedure (sentence −1/3) | 8 m prison – suspended, probation 1 y 3 m | NO | 1 y 3 m | appealed |
| 2022 | Hit on a pedestrian crossing | Pedestrian | Car or van | intoxication | § 422 Plea agreement | 3 y 6 m prison – suspended, probation 3 y 6 m; licence revoked for 1 y | NO | 1 y 1 m | – |
| 2022 | Reversing | Pedestrian | Car or van | – | § 423 Plea agreement | 1 m prison – all served | YES 1 m | – | – |
| 2022 | Hit on a pedestrian crossing | Pedestrian | Car or van | – | § 423 Summary procedure (sentence −1/3) | 1 y prison – suspended, probation 1 y 6 m; licence revoked for 4 m | NO | 1 y 4 m | – |
| 2022 | Failure to give way (junction, turn) | Motorcyclist or moped rider | Car or van | – | § 423 Plea agreement | 1 y 6 m prison – suspended, probation 1 y 6 m | NO | 1 y 4 m | – |
| 2022 | Overtaking | Motorcyclist or moped rider | Car or van | – | § 422 General procedure (full trial) | 2 y 6 m prison – suspended, probation 3 y; licence revoked for 2 y | NO | 1 y 9 m | appealed |
| 2022 | Hit on a pedestrian crossing | Pedestrian | Car or van | – | § 423 Plea agreement | 1 y 6 m prison – suspended, probation 4 y | NO | 8 m | – |
| 2022 | Drifting into the oncoming lane | Driver or passenger of another vehicle | Truck | speed unsuitable for conditions | § 422 Plea agreement | 1 y 4 m prison – suspended, probation 1 y 6 m | NO | 6 y 1 m | – |
| 2022 | Pedestrian hit elsewhere | Pedestrian | Car or van | speed unsuitable for conditions | § 422 Summary procedure (sentence −1/3) | 1 y 4 m prison – suspended, probation 2 y | NO | 1 y 2 m | appealed |
| 2021 | Failure to give way (junction, turn) | Driver or passenger of another vehicle | Truck | – | § 422 Plea agreement | 1 y prison – suspended, probation 1 y 1 m | NO | 2 y 9 m | – |
| 2021 | Running off the road | Passenger in the offender's vehicle | Car or van | intoxication, no licence, speeding | § 422 Summary procedure (sentence −1/3) | 3 y prison – all served | YES 3 y | 1 y 7 m | sentence changed |
| 2021 | Drifting into the oncoming lane | Motorcyclist or moped rider | Car or van | – | § 423 Summary procedure (sentence −1/3) | 1 y prison – suspended | NO | – | appealed |
| 2021 | Rear-end collision | Cyclist | Car or van | – | § 423 General procedure (full trial) | 1 y 4 m prison – 2 m served, rest suspended, probation 2 y 6 m; licence revoked for 1 y | YES 2 m | 1 y 1 m | appealed |
| 2021 | Failure to give way (junction, turn) | Driver or passenger of another vehicle | Car or van | – | § 423 Plea agreement | 1 y prison – suspended, probation 1 y | NO | 5 m | – |
| 2021 | Other or not stated | Driver or passenger of another vehicle 2 killed | Car or van | speeding | § 422 General procedure (full trial) | 10 y prison – all served | YES 10 y | 11 m | sentence changed |
| 2021 | Pedestrian hit elsewhere | Pedestrian | Car or van | – | § 423 Plea agreement | 1 y 6 m prison – suspended, probation 1 y 6 m; licence revoked for 10 m | NO | 11 m | – |
| 2021 | Drifting into the oncoming lane | Driver or passenger of another vehicle | Car or van | – | § 423 General procedure (full trial) | 1 y 6 m prison – 4 m served, rest suspended | YES 4 m | 2 y | appealed |
| 2021 | Overtaking | Driver or passenger of another vehicle 3 killed | Car or van | intoxication, speeding | § 422 General procedure (full trial) | 10 y 8 m prison – all served; licence revoked for 2 y | YES 10 y 8 m | 1 y 3 m | sentence changed |
| 2021 | Running off the road | Passenger in the offender's vehicle | Car or van | intoxication, no licence | § 422 Summary procedure (sentence −1/3) | 4 y prison – all served | YES 4 y | 3 m | appealed |
| 2021 | Hit on a pedestrian crossing | Pedestrian | Car or van | – | § 423 Plea agreement | 1 y prison – suspended, probation 1 y | NO | 7 m | – |
| 2021 | Passenger fell in public transport | Driver or passenger of another vehicle | Bus, tram or trolleybus | – | § 423 Summary procedure (sentence −1/3) | 4 m prison – suspended, probation 1 y | NO | 1 y 8 m | appealed |
| 2021 | Drifting into the oncoming lane | Driver or passenger of another vehicle | Car or van | intoxication, speed unsuitable for conditions | § 422 General procedure (full trial) | 4 y 6 m prison – 1 m served, rest suspended, probation 4 y 6 m; licence revoked for 1 y | YES 1 m | 2 y 1 m | appealed |
| 2021 | Other or not stated | Not stated | Car or van | speeding | § 422 Plea agreement | 2 y prison – suspended, probation 2 y 4 m; licence revoked for 1 y | NO | 8 m | – |
| 2021 | Reversing | Pedestrian | Car or van | – | § 423 Plea agreement | 10 m prison – suspended, probation 1 y 6 m; licence revoked for 3 m | NO | – | – |
| 2021 | Other or not stated | Driver or passenger of another vehicle | Truck | speed unsuitable for conditions | § 422 Plea agreement | 2 y prison – suspended, probation 2 y; licence revoked for 3 m | NO | 1 y 10 m | – |
| 2020 | Rear-end collision | Driver or passenger of another vehicle | Car or van | – | § 423 Summary procedure (sentence −1/3) | 6 m prison – suspended | NO | 1 y 7 m | appealed |
| 2020 | Drifting into the oncoming lane | Driver or passenger of another vehicle | Car or van | – | § 423 Plea agreement | 1 y prison – suspended, probation 1 y | NO | 1 y 7 m | – |
| 2020 | Hit on a pedestrian crossing | Pedestrian | Car or van | – | § 422 Plea agreement | 1 y prison – suspended, probation 1 y 6 m | NO | 1 y 3 m | – |
| 2020 | Running off the road | Passenger in the offender's vehicle | Car or van | intoxication, no licence | § 422 Plea agreement | 4 y 6 m prison – 7 m served, rest suspended, probation 4 y 6 m | YES 7 m | 3 y 5 m | – |
| 2020 | Rear-end collision | Driver or passenger of another vehicle | Car or van | – | § 423 Plea agreement | 1 y 10 m prison – suspended, probation 2 y | NO | – | – |
| 2020 | Drifting into the oncoming lane | Driver or passenger of another vehicle | Car or van | phone / distraction | § 423 Summary procedure (sentence −1/3) | 8 m prison – suspended, probation 1 y | NO | 10 m | – |
| 2020 | Drifting into the oncoming lane | Driver or passenger of another vehicle | Car or van | – | § 423 Plea agreement | 1 y 6 m prison – suspended, probation 2 y; licence revoked for 1 y | NO | 1 y 1 m | – |
| 2020 | Pedestrian hit elsewhere | Pedestrian | Car or van | intoxication, no licence | § 422 Summary procedure (sentence −1/3) | 4 y 4 m prison – all served | YES 4 y 4 m | 5 m | – |
| 2020 | Drifting into the oncoming lane | Driver or passenger of another vehicle | Car or van | speed unsuitable for conditions | § 422 Plea agreement | 2 y prison – suspended, probation 2 y | NO | 1 y 8 m | – |
| 2020 | Rear-end collision | Cyclist | Car or van | fatigue / health, left the scene | § 422 Summary procedure (sentence −1/3) | 2 y prison – suspended, probation 3 y | NO | 1 y 9 m | appealed |
| 2020 | Pedestrian hit elsewhere | Pedestrian | Car or van | intoxication, speeding, left the scene | § 422 General procedure (full trial) | 4 y 6 m prison – all served; licence revoked for 2 y | YES 4 y 6 m | 1 y 3 m | sentence changed |
| 2019 | Failure to give way (junction, turn) | Driver or passenger of another vehicle | Car or van | – | § 423 Plea agreement | 1 y prison – suspended, probation 1 y | NO | 9 m | – |
| 2019 | Failure to give way (junction, turn) | Motorcyclist or moped rider | Car or van | – | § 423 Plea agreement | 2 y prison – suspended, probation 2 y 6 m; licence revoked for 1 y | NO | 1 y 3 m | – |
| 2019 | Failure to give way (junction, turn) | Driver or passenger of another vehicle | Car or van | – | § 423 Plea agreement | 1 y prison – suspended, probation 2 y 3 m | NO | 1 y 2 m | – |
| 2019 | Hit on a pedestrian crossing | Pedestrian | Truck | – | § 422 Plea agreement | 3 y prison – 2 m served, rest suspended, probation 3 y; licence revoked for 1 y | YES 2 m | 8 m | – |
| 2019 | Running off the road | Passenger in the offender's vehicle | Car or van | speeding, speed unsuitable for conditions | § 422 Plea agreement | 3 y 6 m prison – suspended, probation 3 y 6 m; licence revoked for 10 m | NO | – | – |
| 2019 | Rear-end collision | Driver or passenger of another vehicle | Bus, tram or trolleybus | intoxication | § 422 General procedure (full trial) | 2 y 6 m prison – suspended, probation 2 y 6 m | NO | 3 y 9 m | sentence changed |
| 2019 | Drifting into the oncoming lane | Driver or passenger of another vehicle | Truck | – | § 423 General procedure (full trial) | 2 y prison – suspended, probation 2 y 6 m; licence revoked for 6 m | NO | 2 y 1 m | – |
| 2019 | Other or not stated | Driver or passenger of another vehicle | Truck | speed unsuitable for conditions | § 423 Summary procedure (sentence −1/3) | 1 y prison – suspended, probation 2 y; licence revoked for 6 m | NO | 1 y 2 m | – |
| 2019 | Drifting into the oncoming lane | Driver or passenger of another vehicle | Car or van | intoxication, speeding, left the scene | § 422 Summary procedure (sentence −1/3) | 5 y 1 m prison – all served; licence revoked for 2 y 2 m | YES 5 y 1 m | 7 m | – |
| 2019 | Failure to give way (junction, turn) | Motorcyclist or moped rider | Car or van | – | § 423 Plea agreement | 1 y 6 m prison – suspended, probation 2 y | NO | 1 y 4 m | – |
| 2019 | Passenger fell in public transport | Driver or passenger of another vehicle | Bus, tram or trolleybus | – | § 423 General procedure (full trial) | 1 y prison – suspended, probation 6 m | NO | 2 y 4 m | appealed |
Source: court rulings published in Riigi Teataja (criminal cases citing Penal Code § 422 or § 423; first-instance ruling from 2019) and Transport Administration open data on road accidents. 1281 rulings were read; fatal cases were identified from the charge, and each case was coded by hand and checked a second time. The sentence is taken from the latest known ruling, in summary procedure after the one-third reduction. Not every ruling is published, so the figures are a lower bound. The Transport Administration data do not record who was at fault.
Data as of 29 October 2026