Last week saw the return home of tens of thousands of Finnish residents from their places of rest and vacations.
A total of 124 drivers, 92 driving under the influence of alcohol and 32 under the influence of narcotics, were caught in the intensified control of drunk driving carried out by the Police across Finland last week, the Finnish National Police Board said in a statement.
An additional 323 drivers breathalysed were under the drunken driving limit. The Police spent around 3,000 working hours on control.
In the control, the Police breathalysed around 20,000 drivers, administered 159 roadside drugs tests and caught 64 wanted persons.
The Police intensified the control of drunk driving between 2 and 8 August 2021 throughout Finland, especially in areas where there are holiday homes.
High speed
More than a third of fatal accidents occur in June-August. A typical accident resulting in personal injury or fatality during the summer months involves swerving off of the road at high speed outside built-up areas, the police says.
"During the summer, we see an increase in driving under the influence of alcohol, driving at excessive speed and similar incidents that seriously impair safety on the roads. Alcohol-related accidents tend to occur during the first hours of Saturdays and Sundays in July and August, weekend nights and the early hours are times of high accident rates," reports Kari Onninen, Superintendent at the National Police Board.
