"We checked over 500 drivers in total, 111 of whom were behind the wheel of a hired vehicle. 14 of the drivers were found to be suspected of driving under the influence, half of whom were in rental vehicles," Pirko Pärila, head of the patrol unit at the Police and Border Guard Board's (PPA) east Harju station, told ERR on Tuesday.

The results show, that 2.8 percent of all drivers stopped during the operation were over the legal alcohol limit. For those driving hired vehicles, the figure was 6.3 percent. This means that one in every 16 hire vehicle drivers stopped was suspected of drink-driving.

According to Pärila, the operation, which was organized on Saturday night in cooperation with Bolt and Citybee, was specifically aimed at checking hire vehicle drivers. It was the second of its kind in the east Harju area in recent months, following a previous operation in December.

"Over the course of six hours, we checked 87 rental vehicles. Seven drivers were suspected of drink-driving, we also found drugs in some of the vehicles and caught a wanted man, who tried to drive away. We also caught three people driving without licenses, as well as others who had rented vehicles under a different person's name," said Pärila.

"We will certainly continue to carry out these kinds of checks, working together with Bolt and Citybee," said Pärila. "We will do our utmost to ensure that drivers abide by the law and so that road safety is guaranteed in the rental car sector."

 "By working together, we have more chance of having an impact on road users. By catching drivers in the act, in addition to the penalties handed out by the police, service providers can also impose their own," Pärila added.

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