Driving while intoxicated - an old type of crime, new forms
Driving while intoxicated was criminalized in Finland 100 years ago, but the phenomenon has changed in a way that is rarely considered. It's no longer a single type of crime, but two - and they exist in different worlds.
Driving while intoxicated has been a criminal policy issue for 100 years. It was criminalized in Finland in 1926 and remains a standard topic in traffic safety. However, the phenomenon has changed significantly. Drunk driving offences are no longer the same as before. They have split into two, comprising two different types of crime grouped according to their way of doing, with different perpetrators, logic, and geographical distribution.
Driving under the influence of alcohol and narcotics - two different offences
More than 55 percent of basic driving while intoxicated offences today are narcotics-related. As recently as at the beginning of the 2010s, alcohol accounted for 83 percent of all driving while intoxicated offences - now it's only about 57 percent. Narcotics and polysubstance use cases together now account for a larger proportion than alcohol-related cases.
However, the situation in aggravated driving while intoxicated cases has remained almost unchanged: nearly 90 percent of cases involve alcohol. This is a traditional, structural phenomenon - long-term problematic alcohol use, a strong state of intoxication. According to research data, even fluctuations in economic conditions hardly affect the number of aggravated driving under the influence, as there is a strong underlying addiction.
Rural areas and cities, January and July
These two forms of driving while intoxicated are not only divided by different substances, but also by different regions. Alcohol-related cases are concentrated in rural areas and densely populated municipalities. In rural areas, alcohol is used in a different cultural context, and the car is practically an irreplaceable means of transportation in sparsely populated areas - sometimes even when it one should not be driving. The Finnish Institute of Health and Welfare’s wastewater studies confirm that drugs are used much more frequently in the large cities of Southern Finland, and driving under the influence of narcotics is similarly concentrated in cities. Cocaine use has so far been most prevalent in the capital region, but it has also increased in other cities across Finland.
The differences are also evident over time. The seasonal variation of alcohol-related intoxications is well-known: they peak in June-July. However, the biggest spike in drug-related intoxications has been in January - a completely different logic.
According to the recent traffic intoxication statistics from the NBI Forensic Laboratory, last year, positive cases involving alcohol and narcotics or medical drugs were most common in south-eastern Finland, Lapland, and Häme. In both groups, the proportion of men was around 87 percent.
The change in the drug scene challenges identification
The range of narcotics in traffic has expanded rapidly. Amphetamine is still the most common single finding, but last year, an average of three different substances were found in the suspect's blood. Benzodiazepines are the most common group of substances in traffic intoxication studies, even though they hardly come up in public discussions. They impair reaction time and coordination - the effects in traffic are tangible.
Alpha-PVP is a rising threat. It is a powerful stimulant that does not cause a visible intoxication effect, but rather unpredictable behaviour and an increased tendency to take risks. Cocaine, on the other hand, is moving from a marginal phenomenon closer to the mainstream. According to the National Bureau of Investigation, it has become more common, especially among financially capable employed people, which means that the traditional image of an intoxicated driver no longer applies.
The change in driving while intoxicated is partly explained by a broader cultural shift. Hannu Sinkkonen, Director of Enforcement of Finnish Customs, has described the change saying the Finnish intoxicant culture is becoming more "Swedish" – binge drinking is replaced by cannabis and cocaine. This change is directly reflected in the driving while intoxicated statistics.
The traditional image - a drunk man on a small country road - is still true in some cases. However, a new urban phenomenon has emerged, a diverse world of intoxicating substances, which is harder to identify for both the police and citizens. This divide also explains why simple solutions, such as stricter blood alcohol limits or increasing the number of breathalyser tests, are no longer sufficient on their own.
Intoxicants don't belong in traffic - and why should they?
The increased use of narcotics is increasingly evident in the daily work of traffic police. Generally, stimulants increase aggression and risk-taking. The effects on the central nervous system are intensified when they are used in combination with narcotics that paralyze the central nervous system (e.g. cannabis) and sedative drugs. Usually, a suspicion of drunk driving also involves illegal use of drugs and driving a vehicle without a valid driving license.
The control of substances in traffic requires the police to identify a broader profile of drug-impaired drivers. Of course, this is not a new issue for the police, and attention has been paid to it. Roughly speaking, a driver who has used Alpha-PVP and is operating a motor vehicle is usually a man in a wide age range, with a low social status and education level, no driving license, and an aggressive driving style involving risk-taking. A driver of a motor vehicle who has used cocaine, on the other hand, may differ greatly from the previous driver. Their education level may be good, as well as their social status. Usually, the car is also newer.
In Finland, there is zero tolerance for drugs in traffic. From the perspective of traffic safety, this is a good thing. In Finland, it has been considered whether there should also be specific limit values for drugs, as there are for alcohol. The Police Board and the National Public Health Institute are conducting a study on this matter. Preliminarily, it can at least be stated that in Finland, the majority of drug-induced intoxications involve polysubstance use, in which case the limit values cannot be applied. These cases require a separate assessment of the state of intoxication by a medical expert at the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare.
Perhaps we should discuss more about whether any substances belong in traffic, rather than whether some limit values should be set for drugs. The values would have to be set separately for all substances, and as stated, if there is polysubstance use, the limit values cannot be used. Instead, we could discuss whether the alcohol limit values should be lowered and whether a zero tolerance for drugs should be maintained. It is also good to note that there are relatively few aggravated intoxications in narcotics-induced cases. The matter has been considered by the police and attention has been paid to it in surveillance. It is largely a question of evidence. Perhaps the investigation by the National Police Board and the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare will shed new light on serious cases of driving under the influence of narcotic substances.
The number of driving under the influence investigations based on blood samples and breath tests (including alcohol and other intoxicants) had been declining since 2020, but the trend reversed in 2025. This is largely due to the fact that the number of alcohol-related drunk driving cases, as well as the number of drug-related cases, have not continued to decline. Although the police have been able to increase the number of breathalyser tests and drug rapid tests in recent years, it cannot be assumed that this is solely due to increased police surveillance. During the COVID pandemic, the police conducted significantly fewer breathalyser and drug rapid tests than they do today, yet a record number of people suspected of driving under the influence of narcotics were caught, and the number those under the influence of alcohol did not significantly decrease.
Based on wastewater studies, the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare has concluded that the increase in narcotics use has been continuous in the long term. When considered that aggravated alcohol-related drunk driving offences are related to a structural phenomenon, namely long-term problematic alcohol use and severe intoxication, it can be stated that driving under the influence cannot be solved solely by police surveillance, but rather it is a broader societal issue. This is not a new observation.
