During the intensified surveillance by the police last weekend, 36 drivers were caught for drunk driving and 427 for speeding. 87 other violations were observed. In addition, 162 temporary driving bans were imposed.
Speeding is a significant risk factor associated with fatal accidents. Drivers who intentionally try to drive faster than the rest of the traffic often also commit other violations related to driving, such as dangerous overtaking. For the surveillance of driving, the police primarily use civilian-style vehicles, i.e. unmarked cars, vans and motorcycles.
For the intensified surveillance operation organised from Friday, 30 June to Sunday, 2 July, the police also used VATV vehicles intended for demanding driving style monitoring. The surveillance carried out by the specially trained VATV patrols focused on high-risk drivers as described above who systematically seek to avoid other traffic control by the police.
The police used more than 1,500 hours of working time for the weekend’s intensified surveillance operation. It resulted in 70 traffic penalty fees and 400 fine requests or orders. In addition, 72 reports of an offence were filed for the most serious violations. One sanction may cover several different violations.
A total of 427 drivers were caught for speeding, and 36 for driving under the influence. Of the latter, 24 were under the influence of alcohol and 12 under the influence of drugs. The police intervened in 15 cases of dangerous overtaking, 13 cases of driving too close to another vehicle and 18 cases of unnecessary and disorderly driving. More than 40 other violations were also observed. In addition, the police imposed 162 temporary driving bans.
The positive thing was that the share of people under 18 years of age in the traffic violations was small. Only 23 sanctions were imposed on them. For example, no underage drivers were caught for driving under the influence, and only 10 underage drivers were caught for speeding.
The police would like to remind people that in addition to the surveillance operation that just ended, unmarked vehicles are used for enhanced traffic control throughout the summer, as exceeding the speed limit and other driving errors typically increase in the summer traffic.
