Cluj Court confiscates car from teenager caught driving unlicensed three times

The Cluj Court of Appeal has issued a final ruling to confiscate a vehicle valued at approximately 30,000 lei from an 18-year-old driver in Romania. The decision follows three separate incidents where the individual was caught driving without a valid license.

The first incident occurred on July 30, 2025, involving a four-kilometer trip with four passengers. A few days later, on August 2, the individual was caught again driving the same vehicle for approximately 100 kilometers with two passengers. A third incident took place in November in the town of Șepteni, where the driver fled from police onto a dirt road before abandoning the vehicle and running away.

The court characterized the driver's repeated actions as exhibiting “extraordinary criminal persistence.” In addition to the permanent confiscation of the car, the individual received a suspended prison sentence of 1 year, 9 months, and 10 days, along with court supervision. The court emphasized that protecting public road safety and the lives of other motorists takes precedence over the owner's property rights in cases involving such significant social danger.