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Swedish rally driver admits to driving drunk

Swedish rally driver Daniel Carlsson, who runs a well-known campaign against drunk driving, is suspected of having driven under the influence.

Published: 23 June 2008 11:45 CEST

Swedish rally driver admits to driving drunk

According to the Värmlands Folkblad newspaper, Carlsson attempted to flee from his vehicle on foot when police stopped the 31-year-old rally driver at a routine sobriety checkpoint in Kil, north of Karlstad in west central Sweden.

“We couldn’t get a blood alcohol reading. We took two urine tests and a blood test because the person left the car and walked for a short while. They looked for him for about 20 minutes,” said Morgan Connedal of the Karlstad police to the newspaper.

On his website, Carlsson apologizes unreservedly. He writes as well that he will quit his work with the traffic safety project immediately.

“I did something which is dangerous, unforgiveable and which goes against my own convictions. I drove drunk,” writes Carlsson.

He explains that he “way too early in the morning” got behind the wheel after having consumed alcohol. It is something he has never done before.

“One time is one time too many and I’m going to accept the consequences of my actions, there’s no defence for what I did.”

He also tries to explain his flight from police after being stopped at the checkpoint as “a few panic-stricken moments, before I understood what I’d done.”

“Now, afterwards, I regret my actions terribly and feel an enormous guilt for all the drunk driving victims and their relatives.”

Carlsson is leaving his work with the project which he helped start.

“I still believe in everything the project stands for, which makes it a hard decision, but for me to try to continue working with the project currently feels neither meaningful nor credible.”

He says that he plans to take a time out until further notice.

Just last month the rally driver received a grant for his engagement in a sober driving campaign. The accompanying remarks read, “He is a completely sober role model for both rally racers and ordinary drivers.”

EXPLAINED: When can a child sit in the front seat of a car in Switzerland?

In Switzerland, a simple rule for taking children in motor vehicles has been in place for a good two decades: Every child up to a height of 150 cm or the age of 12 must travel in a suitable child seat.

Its Austrian neighbour has even stricter rules in place. Babies and children in Austria must be correctly secured in a child’s seat up to the age of 14 if they are below 135 cm in height.

The German law takes a more relaxed approach and regulates that children from the age of 12 or those that are taller than 150 cm can ride in the vehicle without a child seat – with the appropriate seat belt, of course.

When can a child sit in the front?

According to the law in Switzerland, once a child has reached a height of 150 cm, they can sit anywhere in the car with or without a child or booster seat.

However, a child needs to reach a minimum height of 150 cm for the safety belts to guarantee their safety in a way that the neck is not constricted while driving in the event of sudden braking or an accident.

In principle, children are allowed to sit on the front passenger seat regardless of their age, however, this is not recommended by experts who argue that children are much safer in the back of the car. Furthermore, if a vehicle is equipped with airbags, rear-facing car seats may only be used if the front airbag on the passenger’s side is deactivated.

A driver at the Stelvio Pass, Santa Maria Val Müstair, Switzerland.

A driver at the Stelvio Pass, Santa Maria Val Müstair, Switzerland. Photo by Jaromír Kavan on Unsplash

Can I be fined for my child travelling without an appropriate car seat?

You can and you will. The fine for transporting an unsecured child under the age of 12 is 60 francs, which, given the risk driving without an appropriate child seat poses to your child’s life, is mild.

But what about public transport?

Though this may seem illogical to some, Switzerland does not have any safety laws dictating that car seats be used on its buses, meaning it is not uncommon to see mothers standing in the aisle of a packed bus with a baby in a sling while struggling to hold on to a pole for stability.

Though politicians did briefly discuss equipping buses with baby and child seats in 2017 to avoid potential risks to minors, nothing came of it. Ultimately, supplying buses with special seats or introducing seat belts proved unrealistic given the number of seats and considering how often people hop on and off a bus – there is a stop almost every 300 metres in Switzerland.

Instead, drivers are now better informed of the dangers posed to minors travelling on their vehicles and parents are advised to leave children in strollers and not load those with heavy shopping bags.

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