Fewer drink-drivers this summer, but more drunk e-scooter riders
Police report catching fewer drink-drivers than during last summer's surveillance effort, even though they carried out 17 percent more breathalyser tests this year.
Finnish authorities observed a decline in drink-driving incidents during this summer's traffic enforcement campaign, despite conducting a significant increase in roadside breath tests. The nationwide initiative, which spanned from June 29th to July 26th, targeted elements that influence a driver's competency, such as alcohol, drugs, medication, and medical conditions.
Over 117,500 breathalyser tests were administered throughout the campaign, a 17% rise from the previous year. However, the number of drink-driving offenses dropped to 1,503, a nearly 7% reduction from 1,609 in 2025. Aggravated drunk driving offenses also fell by 10%, and the percentage of positive results from rapid drug tests decreased from 29% to 25%.
Preliminary data from the police indicated a substantial decrease in alcohol-related traffic accidents. There were 62 alcohol-related crashes, down from 105 during the same period in 2025, with personal injury accidents falling from 33 to 13. Inspector Heikki Ihalainen attributed the success to the deployment of advanced precision breathalyser units in police vehicles and boats, which facilitated more roadside checks.
Despite the overall positive trend, the police have identified impaired riding on electric scooters as a growing concern, especially among younger individuals. The campaign recorded 225 suspected cases of drink-driving involving e-scooters, a 40% increase from the 160 cases during last year's campaign.
Written by urgent.news from Yle News Finland's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
