Drunk driving with a drone: Swede sentenced

In Sweden, a 55-year-old man was sentenced by a district court for drunk driving a drone. His blood alcohol content was 0.69 per mille at the time of the offense. The man had to pay a fine. This is the first criminal conviction for flying a drone while drunk in Sweden.

In July 2024, the man had wanted to take aerial photographs with his drone at a classic car event in Rättvik in the Swedish region of Dalarna. However, this location was subject to a temporary no-fly zone, which meant that flying over the event site was not permitted.

While the police were monitoring the no-fly zone with a drone, the officers noticed the flying object. They then searched for the drone pilot. When they found him, they discovered that the man who had been piloting the drone was under the influence of alcohol. A sample showed a blood alcohol content of 0.69 per mille. The man later claimed that he had not flown the drone at all. A friend is said to have done so, but the police did not find him.

Fine

A Swedish district court found it proven that the man had flown the drone under the influence of alcohol. People could have been harmed in the process. The court sentenced the man to a fine of 32,000 Swedish kronor, approximately 2792 euros, payable in 80 daily rates of 400 Swedish kronor each.

The court's decision was based on the same range of penalties that apply to drunk driving. In Sweden, a blood alcohol content of more than 0.2 per mille at the wheel is punishable by law. A blood alcohol level of 1.0 per mille or more is a serious offense.

In Germany, flying a drone under the influence of alcohol or drugs is explicitly prohibited. The 0.5 per mille limit applies.

(olb)