Drunk driving: Police increase controls during carnival season!

The Tyrolean police carried out increased traffic checks during Carnival week between February 27th and March 4th, 2025, with a focus on alcohol and drugs. Despite the discipline of many drivers, the extensive 7,000 alcohol tests carried out revealed alarming figures: 137 people were unfit to drive. With 58 drivers who drank over 0.8 per mille and 39 others who were found to be addicted to drugs, 66 driving licenses had to be temporarily confiscated because their continued driving was prohibited. Colonel Enrico Leitgeb, head of the state transport department, emphasized that controls were intensified due to the alcohol-related accidents already recorded in the first quarter of 2025. The carnival weekend was particularly worrying, as there were three accidents with four injuries in which alcohol played a role. This reported that Gailtal Journal.

At the same time, the Bern cantonal police carried out a targeted check in the Hodlerstrasse area on Sunday morning to check the driving ability of the vehicle drivers. Of the 44 drivers checked, 13 were unfit to drive. Eight people were driving under the influence of alcohol and one person was under the influence of drugs. One of them also did not have a valid driving license. In three cases the driving license was revoked and in five others it was temporarily confiscated. In addition, the police discovered a technical defect in a vehicle and were able to arrest a person who was under arrest. These incidents show the urgent need for such controls, as well as the Bern newspaper reported.