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Fines for driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs jumped 37.4% in 2022 compared to the previous year, according to police statistics.
Limburg, Gelderland and Seid-Holland saw a record 46% increase in fines, including for refusal to be tested at all. In total he has 43,000 people fined for alcohol and drug offenses while he was in control of the vehicle. The numbers do not distinguish between the two.
A police spokesman told Volkskrant that the surge was “a disturbing development that cannot be explained.” “Why people drive drunk is not what we know. We simply conclude that drunk driving is happening and we will continue to crack down,” he said. .
Critics say one reason may be that massive alcohol restrictions have been superseded by more random checks, as drivers warned each other via social media.
“The mass checks had a preventive effect,” Rob Stomphorst of road safety organization Veilig Verkeer Nederland told the newspaper. “People were getting the message that the police were watching them.” Then some would have taken a cab or driven home with a sober friend,” he said.
large check
Police have acknowledged that they have not carried out a large-scale crackdown, except for large events, but noted that drunk driving remains a high risk of getting caught, as evidenced by the high fines. .
The road safety research institute SWOV told the paper that alcohol locks are one measure that may discourage drunk driving. The lock prevents someone who has been drinking from starting the car in the first place.