Slight increase in drink driving

The police have conducted spring and autumn surveys on driving while intoxicated since 1979. The 2025 survey and statistics show a slight increase in drink driving.

In a driving while intoxicated survey, the police breathalyse all drivers who come to a control point and record the results. In the 2025 survey, the police breathalysed a total of around 75,000 drivers. One in 669 vehicle drivers, or 0.15%, was over the specified limit of driving while intoxicated and one in 232 drivers, or 0.43%, had "tasted" alcohol. A total of 24 suspected cases of drug driving were found.

Driving while intoxicated has decreased over the years, but post-coronavirus in 2022 and 2023, driving while intoxicated in traffic flow accounted for 0.18% and in 2024 0.12%.

No surveys were conducted in 2019–2021, during the coronavirus period and Finland’s presidency of the Council of the EU.

Increase in driving while intoxicated – increase especially in combined use of alcohol and narcotic substances

A comparison of police statistics for January–August 2024 and 2025 also reflects the increase in driving while intoxicated. Driving while intoxicated increased 4.8%, with 10,385 incidents at the end of August 2025 compared to 9,907 a year earlier in 2024. The increase is most pronounced among intoxicated drivers who have operated a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol and other narcotic substances. The number of incidents increased 19.2%, with 819 incidents at the end of August 2025 compared to 687 incidents a year earlier in 2024.