Police notice ‘spike’ in impaired driving

“What we’re finding, is we’re coming across people that are driving impaired in times of the day that most people wouldn’t suspect,” said McGrogan. “That 11 in the morning to 1 in the afternoon, we’re running into people that are probably seasoned drinkers and probably for years have been doing it and we haven’t detected it. So, just by doing that, we’re able to actually pick up some of those drivers.”

McGrogran says the whole goal is to have those drivers go ‘wait a minute, if I do this and get caught, I’m not going to drive’.

“In Australia, there’s been a lot of research into this whole issue. There’s been a marked decrease in impaired driving deaths and driving because people in Australia know they’re going to have to blow 3-4 times a year. I don’t know how much the average citizen in Alberta has had to blow, but it’ll be more common now.”

In the first 6 weeks of mandatory alcohol screenings, police have also issued 7 three-day immediate roadside suspensions and 6 thirty-day suspensions under the Alberta Zero Alcohol Tolerance program for GDL drivers.

This compares to just 1 immediate roadside suspension and 0 Alberta Zero Alcohol Tolerance suspensions from the same time last year.

by Taylor Chartrand

Police notice ‘spike’ in impaired driving

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