Canada Day enforcement sees BC Highway Patrol remove high number of impaired drivers near Lake Cowichan.

Lake Cowichan, BC Highway Patrol, Traffic Patrol, Road Safety Unit

2024-07-10 09:27 PDT

BC Highway Patrol on Vancouver Island was kept busy on the long weekend testing drivers for sobriety which led to a high number of impaired drivers being removed from the highways. In response to the increase in traffic caused by the Canada Day weekend and music festival in the Lake Cowichan area, BC Highway Patrol on Vancouver Island increased enforcement in the area.

Over the weekend BCHP Vancouver Island conducted 265 roadside breath screening tests on drivers to determine if their ability to operate a motor vehicle was impaired by alcohol. A total of 26 impaired drivers were removed from the roadway, 24 for being impaired by alcohol and 2 for being impaired by drugs.

According to S/Sgt. Adam TALLBOY, acting Officer in Charge of BC Highway Patrol Vancouver Island, Impaired driving is one of the leading causes of deaths on our roadways so finding nearly 1 out of every 10 drivers we tested over the weekend impaired is of great concern to me. Drivers who have consumed drugs or alcohol have a number of options to get home safely instead of getting behind the wheel of their vehicle and endangering all other road users.

The public can expect to see an increase in impaired driving enforcement using mandatory breath demands to ensure all road users can arrive safely to their destinations. The immediate roadside prohibitions that were issued ranged from 3 days to 90 days depending on blood alcohol concentration, and were accompanied by vehicle impoundments.

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Email: chad.badry@rcmp-grc.gc.ca

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