A man in Sweden has been convicted of drunk-driving a drone, a case thought to be the first of its kind.
Allegedly, the 55-year-old was flying the device at a classic car event in Rättvik, a town in central Sweden, in a temporary no-fly zone, according to The Guardian report.
The police spotted the drone when they were flying their own one to monitor the event. They located the man controlling the drone, who had 0.69 parts alcohol for every 1,000 parts blood in his bloodstream. He admitted to flying the device.
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According to Swedish law, an alcohol level above 0.2 parts in 1,000 parts blood is a punishable offence and above 1.0 is a serious offence. Sweden has stricter drink-driving laws in comparison to other European countries. The alcohol limit in the UK is 0.8, while in Spain, France and Belgium, it is 0.5. On the other hand, Romania and Hungary have a zero-tolerance policy while driving.
The man later denied flying the drone under the influence of alcohol and claimed it was his friend who was flying it. However, his friend was not present when the police arrived.
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He was found guilty and fined 32,000 SEK ($2,912), which was to be paid in 80 days in daily fines of 400 SEK ($36.40).
First of its kind
The case is thought to be the first in Sweden where a person was prosecuted and convicted of drunk-driving a drone.
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“I have not seen a case like this before,” The Guardian quoted prosecutor Jenny Holden Nyström told the broadcaster SVT. “I am satisfied with the verdict.”
The court decision applied the same punishment as it would for drink-driving, said Karin Hellmont, the district court president.
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“It is an aircraft. Even though it is flown by itself, it is controlled by someone down on the ground and can fall from a high height and injure someone,” she said.
(With inputs from agencies)