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By Chris Brown

'Make sure you get home safe'

Police pleased to see fewer impaired drivers this year

Dec 29, 2021 | 3:02 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – City police say holiday party-goers have been keeping safety top of mind as they’ve been celebrating the season.

Medicine Hat police have held two advertised checkstops in December and conducted others throughout the month.

“They’ve been very good actually. We’ve been very impressed with the results,” says acting Sgt. Darren Holeha of the MHPS traffic unit. “We’ve checked a lot of vehicles and we’ve had very few impaireds. So we’re very impressed with everyone driving safely in the City of Medicine Hat and hopefully that continues into the new year.”

More checkstops are planned for New Year’s Eve and the throughout the week.

“If you are going to have a few drinks over the holiday weekend make sure you have another alternative driver or you can call Keys Please or a cab or anything like that. Just make sure you get home safe,” Holeha says.

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The overall numbers are down compared to last December. There have only been three Immediate Roadside Sanctions (IRS) fails and two IRS warns, when blood-alcohol content is between 0.05 and 0.079.

Medicine Hat Police Service began mandatory alcohol screening a few years ago, something Holeha believes is contributing to the downward trend.

“I think drivers are getting used to that and realizing that you know once you’re pulled over you could potentially be doing that,” he says. “And so everybody’s driving safely and realizing the impacts of impaired driving on themselves and everybody else in the community.”