For the first time ever, a Swede has been fined for flying a drone while intoxicated. It happened over a car chase with a no-fly zone.
In a landmark case from Sweden, a man has been sentenced to a fine for flying a drone under the influence of alcohol during a car crash.
The incident took place during Classic Car Week in Rättvik, where the 55-year-old man, after consuming alcohol, chose to send his drone into the air over the many vintage cars.
The police, who also had a drone in the air to monitor the car crash, noticed the illegal drone flight.
They found the man and asked him to breathe into a breathalyzer. The result showed a blood alcohol level of 0.69, which is well above the legal limit of 0.2 per mille, which applies to both driving and drone flying.
The man initially tried to deny his guilt by blaming an acquaintance for flying the drone. However, this explanation was not accepted by either the police or the prosecutor.
The court in Rättvik chose to convict the man of drunk driving, as they assessed that a drone in the air can cause damage in the same way as a car.
The verdict was 80 daily fines of 400 Swedish kronor, which corresponds to a total fine of 32,000 Swedish kronor or around 21,000 Danish kronor.
Prosecutor Jenny Holden Nyström says in a comment to SVT that she has never seen or heard of similar cases.
– I have never seen a case like this before. I must say that I am satisfied with the verdict, I had requested that the man be sentenced to a day's pay, but did not specify how much.
The presiding judge, Karin Hellmont, also commented on the case after the verdict.
– It's an airplane, even though it flies by itself, it's controlled by someone down on the ground and can fall from a high altitude and hurt someone.
This case is the first of its kind in Sweden, and it has attracted international attention as it highlights the potential dangers of flying a drone under the influence of alcohol, especially at events such as car shows where many people are gathered.
