By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

use common sense

RCMP’s Operation Impact promoting safe driving over long weekend and beyond

Oct 6, 2023 | 10:19 AM

Alberta RCMP are taking to the roads and highways this weekend for the annual Operation Impact.

This is a national awareness campaign aimed at making Canadian roads safe by promoting responsible driving behaviour. Members hope to help motorists prevent collisions, reduce injuries and save lives.

This year’s campaign theme emphasizes the accountability and the role each driver has to play to support traffic safety on the streets and highways in their community, RCMP note.

“Over the past few months, we’ve seen multiple collisions resulting in fatalities,” said Insp. Chris Romanchych, Alberta RCMP Traffic. “The goal of Operation Impact is to help ensure we avoid future tragedies, but we can’t do it without Albertans help. This Thanksgiving, make responsible choices when it comes to traffic safety. Slow down, wear your seatbelt, and get home safe.”

Tips from RCMP:

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• Don’t drive impaired. Always make sure you have a designated driver or a safe place to stay if you are going to be partaking in drugs or alcohol.
• Don’t drive distracted. Before you start a trip set the destination on your GPS, make sure any children are properly secure, and put away any electronics that may be distracting. If you do need to make a call or send a text message, make sure that you pull over and park in a safe location first.
• Be mindful of conditions. October is a season of change in Alberta bringing shorter days and unpredictable weather. Always make sure you are driving to conditions
• Take 0% risk 100% of the time. Never take unnecessary risks while driving. Wearing a seatbelt, driving the speed limit, and following the rules of the road are simple things you can do to stay safe while driving.

In 2022, Alberta RCMP issued 2,653 tickets over the long weekend. There were 1,328 speeding tickets and 18 given for excessive speeding.

Another 58 were for not wearing a seatbelt, and 65 were for distracted driving. Then there were 88 impaired drivers taken off the roads.

There were zero fatalities, but 21 collisions resulted in injury.