A 17-year-old driver in Finland caused a chaotic crash after driving drunk on New Year’s Eve, highlighting a troubling rise in serious traffic offenses committed by young drivers.
The driver, identified as Joonas, lost control of his car while under the influence, with a blood alcohol content of 1.78 promille, and collided with a homeowner’s hedges, a playhouse, a tree, a mailbox, and a fiber optic cabinet before coming to a stop.
The incident occurred in the Varsinais-Suomi region, and Joonas had obtained his driver’s license just six months prior through an exception permit.
– It was really lucky that nothing else happened other than the sanctions and, of course, the ridiculous shame of what I had done, Joonas said a year later.
Serious traffic safety violations committed by young drivers have increased in recent years, with high-profile cases drawing attention to the issue.
Last year, the Laitila mine accident and a car that plunged into a river in Nurmijärvi—both resulting in multiple fatalities among young people—made headlines.
Beyond these tragic incidents, numerous other accidents involving young drivers occurred that didn’t garner widespread media coverage but still carried the potential for severe consequences.
A review of traffic crime convictions handed down by the Varsinais-Suomi District Court in 2025, involving defendants who were minors at the time of the offense, revealed a concerning pattern.
Joonas was one of those defendants, and he’s sharing his story to explain why he drove a car while intoxicated.
His full name and place of residence have been withheld to protect his privacy, as the conditional sentence and potential repercussions of publicizing his identity could be unduly harsh.
Rangaistuksena ehdollista vankeutta ja pitkä ajokielto
On the day of the accident, Joonas had arranged a ride with friends to a party expected to be crowded with young people. The ride fell through just before they were set to leave.
– I figured I had a car in the driveway, so I’d take it. I thought I’d pick up the car from the party the next day, Joonas recalls.
The party was lively, with young people enjoying a sauna and drinking. Joonas has no memory of the latter part of the evening.
He later learned from his friends that he had told them he was going to the bathroom but instead walked to the car. Joonas believes he wouldn’t have driven if he hadn’t been so intoxicated.
– I’ve never driven drunk before. If I had been even a little bit coherent, I wouldn’t have left in that condition.
Joonas doesn’t remember the five-kilometer drive. The accident occurred on a straight road, less than half a kilometer from his home.
In a video, Joonas shares what he has thought about most in connection with his actions.
Joonas was convicted of aggravated drunk driving and reckless endangerment and sentenced to a conditional prison sentence and fines. He was also given a one-and-a-half-year driving ban.
Joonas considers the sentence reasonable. However, he has struggled to accept having a conditional criminal record.
Driving past the accident site still feels difficult and causes him shame.
– I’m not the kind of person who wants to do anything bad to anyone.
Tällaisia tuomioita alaikäiset saivat liikennerikoksista
Based on court convictions, Joonas’s case is fairly typical of a serious traffic offense committed by a minor.
A review of court decisions revealed that the most common offense among young drivers is reckless driving in a car with a few passengers or a minor off-road excursion while intoxicated.
The difference in Joonas’s case is that police typically stop the driving before an accident occurs.
Alcohol was involved in about one in three cases.
The typical sentence in the cases reviewed was a few dozen daily fines. The smallest number of daily fines imposed was 15, and the largest was 100. On average, young people were required to pay €290 in fines.
In two cases, a conditional prison sentence was also imposed in addition to the fines—30 days in one case and 35 days in the other. Joonas’s case was one of these.
Poliisi kiristäisi poikkeusluvan ehtoja
Police in Southwest Finland deal with hundreds of traffic offenses committed by young drivers each year, according to Chief Superintendent Kai Loukkaanhuhta, head of the traffic police sector.
Only a fraction of these cases make it to court. The vast majority are handled by the police.
– The cases that end up in court are serious offenses, such as aggravated drunk driving, Loukkaanhuhta says.
He says the situation regarding young drivers’ traffic offenses has deteriorated in recent years. One factor has been the exception permit for 17-year-olds to obtain a driver’s license.
– It used to be a real exception permit, meaning it was quite difficult to get. Nowadays, it’s almost the rule that if a 17-year-old applies for a driver’s license, they get it.
A revision of the driver’s license law is currently underway, with a key goal of tightening the criteria for granting age exception permits.
The public consultation period for the draft law ended in December. The police administration, among others, recommended tightening the conditions for the exception permit in its response.
Joonas also believes that the conditions for the exception permit should be tightened. However, he thinks that alcohol made him act irresponsibly, not his young age.
– Would the situation have been any different if I had been a year older? I don’t know.
Onnettomuus teki varovaiseksi
The accident has changed Joonas. Today, he’s the one warning others about traffic safety.
– I might tell my friends to slow down when there are deer around or that we don’t need to rush. When we’re partying, I pay more attention.
He’s looking forward to the end of his driving ban next summer so he won’t have to rely on rides.
– When I go with my girlfriend somewhere, I sit in the passenger seat. I’d like to take her somewhere someday where I’m driving.
