Photos: Rotterdam police unit

Driving under the influence is prohibited. And thats for a good reason. When you drive under the influence (of alcohol and/or drugs), you endanger road safety. This is dangerous for yourself, but also for other road users. To bring this back to the attention of drivers in Rotterdam and thus increase safety on the road, officers conducted a large alcohol control last night.

The center of Rotterdam locked down
The seven locations for the control were not chosen randomly. There was a checkpoint on the seven major exit roads from the center of Rotterdam. Controls were carried out on the Erasmus Bridge, Schiekade, s-Gravendijkwal, Weena, Maastunnel, Maasboulevard, and the Willemsbrug. In total, hundreds of drivers were checked. Many colleagues were working last night to carry out this control. Specialist knowledge from the traffic police was also present, and the police received assistance from several partners. For example, Veilig Verkeer Nederland was present, as well as assessors from the CVOM (Central Processing Public Prosecution Service).

Results
In total, 100 drivers were found to be driving under the influence of alcohol last night, and 15 drivers were found to be driving under the influence of drugs. For this, a fine, a (temporary) suspension of driving privileges (for example, by confiscating the drivers license, which happened 17 times last night), a prison sentence, or a combination of these penalties can be imposed. This depends on the severity of the situation. Officers prepare a report for these situations.

It was notable last night that a driver who was checked on the Weena tried to switch places in the car with the passenger right in front of the officers. The officers noticed this and had the driver blow. This resulted in the drivers license being confiscated.
On the Erasmus Bridge, an officer noticed illegal fireworks in the car of a driver who was being checked for driving under the influence. The vehicle was searched, the illegal fireworks were confiscated, and the 18-year-old man from Maassluis was arrested for possession of illegal fireworks.