Up to 6,000 drunk drivers on the roads each day
According to police statistics, around 4,000-6,000 drunk drivers take to the streets each day in Estonia.
Police caught 3,000 drunk drivers in the first five months of the year, which is about 1 percent of checked cars, Northern Prefecture head Kristian Jaani told ETV.
Besides DUIs, police catch 17,000 drivers who speed. “Speeding is exactly as deadly behavior as when a person sits behind a wheel having previously consumed alcohol,” Jaani said.
“Punishment is not a solution. No law or penalty will make a person care. Life has shown that relapsing is very high among DUIs, meaning that if a person gets caught once, that person will repeat the offense,” he said.
He said a rehabilitation program, currently in a draft bill form in the Parliament, could be the answer. The bill, if passed, will force drunk drivers to take psychological tests to get closer to the reason people drink and drive.
A number of serious crashes, involving high speeds and/or alcohol, have taken place in Estonia in recent weeks.
Editor: J.M. Laats