A result must be connected to the driver, vehicle and legally compliant test
The case is not only a number on a printout. The authority must establish operation of the vehicle, the test process or alleged evasion, the correct person, reliable timing and the applicable part of Article 116.
The provision addresses operation of a vehicle in a state of alcoholic intoxication and several related situations, with consequences that can include driving-licence suspension, fines and, in specified repeat or aggravated cases, administrative detention. The exact part changes with the measured range, licence status, prior penalty, alleged evasion and whether light damage occurred.
The current official English publication describes a right to apply within two hours after a positive test for clinical-laboratory examination and/or blood sampling. Because timing is decisive, the person should record when the roadside test occurred, when the result and explanation of rights were given and whether transport to a medical or expert institution was realistically available.
Impairment does not answer criminal causation
Where injury, death or a serious collision is involved, Criminal Code Article 276 and expert accident reconstruction may become relevant. The authority must still prove the specific traffic breach and causal connection; the administrative test result does not by itself establish every element of a criminal road case.
Four immediate Article 116 checks
Confirm who operated the vehicle and when driving ended in relation to testing
Obtain the device record, serial or calibration material, operator details and uninterrupted video
Record whether the result was disputed and whether the medical-examination route was explained and available
Check licence status, earlier penalties, alleged evasion, damage and the precise paragraph cited
Testing and driving evidence to preserve
- Penalty notice or report, test printout, licence record and proof of service
- Body-camera, dash-camera, patrol-car and roadside CCTV recordings
- Device identification, maintenance or calibration record and operator information
- Clinical, laboratory or blood-sample records with collection and storage times
- Vehicle, route, passenger, receipt, location and phone records concerning actual driving
- Collision photographs, scene plan, repair record and medical classification where damage is alleged
Disputed testing and alleged evasion
An allegation of evasion should be tied to a clear lawful requirement, explanation and conduct. Medical inability, language barriers, device failure, inconsistent instructions and lack of a genuine opportunity to complete the process can require evidence beyond the officer’s conclusion.
Licence consequences may begin quickly and can affect work, travel and insurance. The served decision should be checked for the issuing authority, paragraph applied, start date, appeal route and whether enforcement is suspended. Do not rely on a verbal statement that the licence will be returned automatically.
Provisions and connected classifications
Alcohol intoxication and examination
Different measured ranges, evasion, licence status, prior penalties and light damage can engage different parts.
Read the Article 116 scopeNo licence or suspended licence
Licence status and permission to use the vehicle may create a separate administrative allegation.
Read Article 121 guideSerious road-traffic case
Injury, death and causation require a separate criminal analysis of the alleged traffic-rule breach.
Read criminal road guideArticle 116 — identify the precise testing scenario
Article 116 is lengthy and paragraph-specific. This panel states the central scope and urgent procedural issue; use the current consolidated text for thresholds, sanctions, early-return rules and every applicable note.
Article 116Operation of a vehicle in a state of alcoholic intoxication and related offences+
The provision distinguishes measured levels of alcoholic intoxication, evasion of examination and circumstances involving licence status, repetition or light damage.
The official English consolidated text also sets out roadside and medical-examination procedures, including a time-sensitive route to clinical-laboratory examination or blood sampling after a positive test. The operative Georgian wording and current implementing rules should be checked immediately.
Open the current consolidated Code on Matsne↗︎Article parts, sanctions and procedural routes can be amended. The current Georgian consolidated text and the document served in the case control.
How representation is organised
Primary sources for this guide
Reviewed on 27 August 2026. Administrative sanctions and procedures are amended regularly, and an official English publication may lag behind the operative Georgian text. Verify the cited part, authority and service record before acting.
Administrative Offences Code of Georgia — current consolidated record↗︎Law of Georgia on Road Traffic↗︎Criminal Code of Georgia — Article 276 boundary↗︎