In Denmark, more than one in four drunk or speeding drivers is a foreigner. Danish police statistics show that the largest national group facing such charges are Poles. Politicians in Copenhagen are debating tougher regulations.
According to data quoted by the Danish television channel TV2, since March 31, 2021, i.e. after the entry into force of regulations allowing, among other things, car confiscation, police officers have brought 3,965 charges regarding creating a serious risk in road traffic. Foreigners are responsible for 1,115 such cases, including drunk driving, and more than half of them are residents of Central and Eastern Europe.
The breakdown of nationalities shows that over the course of over three years, most cases concerned Poles – 249, followed by Lithuanians – 138, Romanians – 136, and citizens Ukraine – 70, Latvia – 49, Syria – 42, Turkey – 40 and Sweden – 36. Other countries are represented to a much lesser extent.
“We may need to give the police more tools.”
According to the ruling politicians Denmark social democracy and the right-wing opposition, it is necessary to further tighten penal provisions. – We may need to equip the police with more tools. (…) I suppose we have a problem with foreigners who come to Denmark, work and drive trucks – said Bjoern Brandenborg, a parliamentarian of the Danish Social Democratic Party.
Danish Supreme Court ruled that under applicable regulations it is not possible to seize the truck.
A representative of the opposition Danish People's Party, Mette Thiesen, who is opposed to immigrants, proposed that if a foreigner is convicted of dangerous driving, he could be deported, and causing death by a drunk driver should be treated as homicide.
Regulations in Denmark
In Denmark, on March 31, 2021, a strict new law came into force allowing the confiscation of a driver's vehicle if he significantly exceeds the speed limit in built-up areas, even if the car is rented. The provision was intended to discourage drivers from racing in cities.
Stricter regulations have also been introduced – speeding above 200 km per hour is punishable by imprisonment, not a fine. Serious speeding will result in your driving license being unconditionally revoked for three years.
In Denmark, a car is confiscated, regardless of who it belongs to, even for driving under the influence of alcohol, if the driver is caught driving for the third time. The employer is informed about driving under the influence of alcohol.
Another way to combat drunk drivers is to take a 10-hour course on the effects of driving under the influence of alcohol. You have to pay for such lessons out of your own pocket.
According to TV2's commentary, the tightening of the regulations did not result in a significant decrease in the number of offenses and violations of the law in road traffic.
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