Finnish police are carrying out an intensified, nationwide surveillance campaign called 'Sober in pre-Christmas traffic'.
The campaign started last Friday 15 November. It is focused on monitoring traffic on weekends, especially in those places where people go to celebrate pre-Christmas parties.
So far, 124 drivers suspected of drunk driving have been caught. In addition, 28 of the stopped drivers were suspected for other offences and 30 were wanted by the police.
According to a press release by the National Police Board, a total of 27,088 drivers were breathalyzed. The number of drunk drivers in relation to the number of breathalyzer tests was slightly higher than during the corresponding surveillance exercise last year.
Breathalyzer patrols were targeted at evening and night-time pre-Christmas party traffic in particular.
“Through such surveillance and the related communications, the police aim to prevent serious drunk driving accidents,” says Chief Superintendent Timo Ajaste of the National Police Board.
Enhanced surveillance will continue nationwide during the forthcoming weekend.
