Police launch 48 hour drink-drive crackdown

Officers intend to carry out thousands of breathalyser tests on Friday and Saturday.

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File picture of police van / Credit: News Now Finland

Finnish police forces are launching a two-day nationwide crackdown on drunk drivers.

Over the next 48 hours they expect to carry out thousands of breath tests.

“It is not advisable to start drinking this weekend if you intend to drive. The main reason of course is that the risk of getting injured and dying in traffic increases considerably due to substance abuse” says Inspector Heikki Ihalainen.

“The risk of getting caught this weekend is even higher than usual” he adds.

In 2018, around 30% of everyone killed or injured on Finland’s roads was due to drunk driving accidents – with more than a third of those people aged 15-24.

“Personal injuries from drink driving accidents are concentrated in the summer months. That’s why the police are already involved in preventing drunk driving even before the beginning of summer” says Ihalainen.

Last year about 19,000 drunk drivers were caught by police.