Police said Friday they’re disappointed with the number of impaired drivers on Calgary streets in December and they’re hoping for better behaviour on New Year’s Eve.
Staff Sgt. Paul Stacey told News Talk 770 officers seized 70 vehicles from impaired motorists over four days of enhanced checkstops in December. That includes drivers who are impaired according to both provincial and criminal sanctions.
“That was far more than we were expecting to see,” Stacey said. “It’s a little disappointing, especially when there’s so much media attention paid to it and such education around it.”
Stacey said all CPS officers will be on the lookout for drug or alcohol-impaired drivers on New Year’s Eve.
Drivers caught with a blood-alcohol level between .05 and .08 will have their vehicle seized and licence suspended for three days. A level over .08 results in a criminal charge.
“Any police officer you see anywhere on New Year’s Eve is very alive to the fact that there are potential impaired drivers out there and we’re all looking for them,” Stacey said.
Stacey said he hopes the preliminary checkstop numbers for December were just a blip.
“Overall we’ve seen impaired driving charges down year-over-year … and we’ve actually seen fewer impaired driving crashes over the past couple years, so we have seen some encouraging trends,” he said.
The complete results from December checkstops won’t be available until the new year.
With files from Brenda Neufeld.
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