Drunken driving enforcement in Finland - best practises and keys for success

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Drunken driving enforcement in Finland - best
practises and keys for success

• TISPOL conference 21.5.2007, London
• Kari Rantala
• Chief
• National Traffic Police Finland

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Content of this presentation

• General information
• Drink drive legislation and
• traffic control in practise
• Key factors / Best practises
• Future visions

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General information

• Population 5,2 million
• Road network 400 000 km
• Vehicles 4 500 000
• Driving licenses 3 400 000

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Killed in road traffic accidents by road user
group and safety target
Killed previous 12 months
No more than 250 road traffic fatalities per year
by 2010.
Total
In passenger cars
Bicyclists, pedestrians
Others
Source Statistics Finland and Central
Organization for traffic safety in Finland, 2006
2007 preliminary data 3/2007

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Drunken driving legislation

• According the Penal Code, the driver of a motor
  vehicle is guilty
• of drunken driving if he/she has a minimum of 50
  mg of alcohol per 100 ml of blood (0,5 o/oo), or
  a minimum of 0.22 mg per litre of exhaled air.
• of aggravated drunken driving if there is 120 mg
  of alcohol (blood, 1,2 o/oo) and 0.53 mg (exhaled
  air).
• A driver can also be guilty of drunken driving or
  aggravated drunken driving when he/she is under
  the influence of other intoxicants than alcohol
• Zero-tolerance related for drugs
• Random breath testing
• Breath tests are conducted every time police
  officer stops a driver (no matter what was the
  reason)
• According to Coercive Act police can force
  suspect driver to blood and urine tests

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Sartre 3 research tested drivers during past
three years
Picture source http//sartre.inrets.fr/
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Equipment

• Efficient and quick equipment provides for a
  large number of checks
• Police conducts breath test for every driver
  stopped
• Reliability of equipment
• Every National Traffic Police officer has her/his
  own breath analyser in personal equipment
• Evidential breath testers are to come 2008 to the
  police cars
• Now those are located in the police stations

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Equipment

• Screening devices for drugs
• Alcohol ignition interlock devices in test use
  for condemned drunken drivers July 2005 - June
  2008
• See more information http//www.mintc.fi/oliver/u
  pl846-Alcolock20Info.pdf

Interlock picture www.draeger-safety.fi
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Key factors for drunken driving enforcement
success

• Clear and solid legislation
• Random testing
• Efficient enforcement strategies (political and
  citizens will behind)
• National Traffic Police customer satisfaction
  survey 95 demands more drunken driving
  enforcement
• Police barometer survey 2005 indicates that 91
  of respondents are afraid of drunk drivers
• Efficient equipment with motivated and skilful
  police officers
• Scientific research
• Comprehensive statistics
• Visible publicity campaigns joined to the
  enforcement actions

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R-study in cooperation with National Public
Health Institute (www.ktl.fi/portal/english/)

• Annual roadside surveys since 1978
• Annually more than 30000 drivers are breath
  tested
• Comparability assured
• Survey gives valuable information for drunken
  driving enforcement
• appr. every 600-650th driver in traffic low is
  drunk over 0,5 o/oo

Picture source ETSC Pin Flash 5 www.etsc.be
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Road accident investigation teams

• Activity began in 1968
• In-depth on-the-spot investigation
• All fatal traffic accidents special projects
• 500 cases a year
• Standardised method
• 21 multidisciplinary teams nationwide
• Police, road specialist, vehicle specialist,
  physician, psychologist, railway and other
  experts
• Legislation 2001

• To provide data for scientific research
• To find out information to prevent accidents
• Risk factors
• Consequences
• Circumstances
• To give safety suggestions
• Transport
• Human factors
• Vehicles
• Road and conditions

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Operation at the scene of accident
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Publicity campaigns

• In good cooperation with Liikenneturva, central
  organisation for Finnish traffic safety work
  (www.liikenneturva.fi/en/)
• Slogans
• If you take, take a driver
• I killed em all
• Etc.

Picture source Liikenneturva
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Future

• Still strengthen previously seen best practises
• Still increase the subjective and objective risk
  of detection
• Equipments, cooperation
• Alcohol interlocks, evidential breath testers and
  efficient screening devices of drugs on the road
  side
• Most of drunken drivers have a drinking problem -
  more efficient cooperation with health care
• Assuring that every stakeholder on the field of
  the drunken driving problem deliver same message
  to the public
• Visible enforcement actions, publicity, high
  number of tests
• Equal drunken driving statistic for whole EU

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• Thank you for your attention