The PPA stopped the bus near Tarbja, north of Paide, after being notified by another driver at just after 8.15 a.m. on Monday morning, that a bus carrying children on the Tallinn-Tartu highway was driving over the speed limit, BNS reports.

The driver, a 49-year-old man, who for legal reasons cannot be named, was found to have been driving while intoxicated, removed from the wheel, and escorted to the PPA station in Paide, where misdemeanor proceedings were commenced, BNS reports.

Paide PPA station spokesperson Ragne Tõnts told BNS that the driver said he had consumed alcoholic beverages the previous day and was unaware that he had been over the limit.

"While this is important for absolutely all drivers, people whose job is driving and transporting a large number of people safely from one place to another need to be especially careful and assured in their well-being before taking on such responsibilities," Tõnts said.

Under Estonian law, driving after consuming any volume of alcohol is forbidden.

A breath alcohol content of 1.5mg/L or more constitutes a criminal offence, with misdemeanor officences starting at 0.2mg/L.

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