Driving a car under the influence of alcohol and receiving a fine from the police is a commonly heard incident, but getting fined for operating a drone under the influence of alcohol is a rare case that recently occurred in the central region of Sweden. This may be the first of its kind in the country.
According to a report by the British newspaper “The Guardian” on January 29th, the incident took place in the town of Rättvik in Dalarna province, Sweden, in July last year. A man was operating his drone in a temporary no-fly zone at a vintage car show, and he had been drinking.
While the police were monitoring the event using drones, they noticed the man’s drone and later tracked down his location.
The police conducted an alcohol test on the man and found that his blood alcohol concentration was as high as 0.069%, exceeding the legal limit of 0.02% in Sweden.
In Sweden, drunk driving laws are very strict. Having a blood alcohol concentration of 0.1% is considered a serious offense. In comparison, the legal limit for blood alcohol concentration is 0.08% in the UK; 0.05% in Spain, France, and Belgium.
The man later claimed that he was not the one operating the drone under the influence of alcohol, but it was his friend who was operating it. However, his friend had already left when the police arrived.
The police did not believe the man’s statement and fined him 32,000 Swedish Krona (2,911 USD). This is believed to be the first case in Sweden where someone was fined for operating a drone under the influence of alcohol.
Local prosecutor Jenny Holden Nyström told Swedish television station SVT, “I have never seen a case like this before. I am satisfied with the verdict.”
Regional Court Chief Karin Hellmont stated that the court applied the same penalty standards for operating a drone under the influence of alcohol as for drunk driving. “This is an aircraft. Even though it is flying on its own, it is controlled by someone on the ground and could fall from a height and injure someone.”