6000 Drunk Drivers Stopped in a

ROADPOL Campaign across Europe

Police officers are seen during the campaign in the Netherlands, 8 December 2020. PHOTO: POLITIE.NL

12 JAN 2020 – 6.218 drunk drivers were caught by police officers in a ROADPOL pan-European campaign aimed at driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs.

Additional 1.509 drivers were found to be driving after having taken different kinds of illicit drugs, the European Roads Policing Network reported. Throughout the campaign lasting from 7 to 13 December 2020 about 500.000 motorists were checked across 13 ROADPOL member states. The numbers are allegedly impressive considering that a lot of member police forces could not take part in the campaign due to COVID-19 emergency measures. The percentage of drunk/stoned drivers was the highest in Norway at 7%. Taken over all participating countries, the occurence was 2%.

Risk

“The use of alcohol and/or drugs before or while driving a vehicle leads to a large number of collisions with other road users or fixed objects. The number of road users who are injured or killed in these collisions is also high”, ROADPOL Operational Working Group Secretary Henk Jansen informed. He also observed that young drivers in the risk 18-25 age group are often unaware of the dangers of driving while drugged. For example, they are often unaware that even small amounts of narcotics impair driving abilities. It is also largely not considered that drugs affect driving even days after consumption.

Plans

In June 2021 another week of “Alcohol and Drugs” control will be organized by ROADPOL across Europe. Also then for a 24 hour period the “Alcohol and Drugs Marathon” is to be held. The next ROADPOL control week will take place from 8 to 14 February 2021 with the focus on trucks and busses.

Mission

The European Roads Policing Network ROADPOL aims at improving road safety in Europe by sustainably reducing the number of people killed or severely injured in road traffic. In addition to permanent traffic monitoring and joint control weeks, there is a constant exchange of experience between countries in Europe through digital webinars for enforcement officers and other stakeholders. Long term goal is to also harmonize the current wide range of traffic rules across Europe in order for road users to adapt smoothly when crossing borders. In addition, ROADPOL maintains constant interaction with various committees of the EU and other non-governmental organizations in the field of road safety, especially at a European level.