During the car ride to Malmö, the 19-year-old driver and his passengers inhaled laughing gas. It ended with him losing control and crashing the car at high speed. Now he is being convicted of gross drunk driving, which is unique according to the Motormännens helnykterhetsförbund (MHF).
In the few cases that exist, the prosecution has been dismissed or it has been considered as regular drunk driving, says MHF's CEO Tomas Jonsson to Sydsvenskan.
According to the law, one can be convicted of drunk driving if one is so affected by alcohol or "another substance" that one cannot operate their vehicle in a secure manner.
However, the police lack instruments to measure the influence of laughing gas – which means that few people who have driven under the influence of laughing gas have been able to be convicted of drunk driving. In this case, the driver himself has stated that the intake of laughing gas affected the driving, notes the judge in the case.
The 19-year-old is sentenced to probation and 40 hours of community service. No one was seriously injured in the accident.
