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Latvia donates drunk drivers’ cars to Ukraine’s war effort

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Latvia began seizing cars from heavily drunk drivers this year, and as hundreds of vehicles began overfilling impound lots, decided to send them to Ukrainian military and hospitals.

Seven cars were driven in a snowstorm onto a trailer and out of a state impound lot on Wednesday, destined for Ukraine.

Two hundred cars were taken from drivers found with blood alcohol levels over 0.15% in two months in the Baltic nation of 1.9 million people.

“It’s actually very scary when you realise how many cars are driving around with drunk drivers,” said Reinis Poznaks, founder of the NGO known as Twitter Convoy which has been tasked by the government to deliver the vehicles to Ukraine.

The two-dozen confiscated cars the state has promised to hand him each week to send to Ukraine will test the limits of his largely volunteer operation, Poznaks said.

“No-one expected that people are drunk-driving so many vehicles, they can’t sell them as fast as people are drinking. So that’s why I came with the idea, send them to Ukraine,” Poznaks said.

Twitter Convoy has already dispatched about 1 200 vehicles, after announcing a plea for donations on Twitter days after the Russia’s invasion started on 24 February last year. It raised 2 million euros ($2.1 million) for vehicle purchases, renovations and logistics in 2022.

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