Action needed to tackle increase in Polish drunk driving

The number of Polish nationals involved in drunk driving incidents in the Netherlands is increasing, according to road safety research institute SWOV in Wednesday’s Volkskrant.


Last year, one in six traffic accidents involving a Pole also involved alcohol, up from one in 10 in 2008, the institute says. And the number of crashes caused by Polish drivers rose 18.5% over 2009, at a time when the total number of accidents fell by the same percentage.
‘Dutch drivers drink a glass of wine or beer too much. Poles drink vodka which goes more quickly,’ said Brabant police spokesman AndrĂ© van den Hul in the Volksrant.
Van den Hul said it is difficult to reach Polish workers to discourage drink driving. ‘They are here for three months, then back in Poland for three months. They have their own shops and culture,’ he said. ‘It is not easy to reach them via tv, radio and internet.’

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