Lethbridge police, M.A.D.D. join forces for annual Christmas Checkstop campaign

Holiday parties are ramping up and Lethbridge, Alta., police are dialing up their presence.

“We’re making sure everyone is driving sober and getting home safe,” said Lethbridge Police Service A/Sgt. Brent Paxman with the traffic response unit.

That’s the message Lethbridge police and Mothers Against Drunk Driving (M.A.D.D.) are hoping to get across this holiday season for the 6th annual Christmas Check Stop campaign.

“Impaired drivers cause a significant risk to everyone on the road and have caused a lot of pain and grief throughout our history, so we’re just out here trying to get impaired drivers off the road and provide education to those that see us and the lucky ones that get stopped by us,” said Paxman.

Last year, police checked nearly 1,300 motorists during the holidays, found seven impaired drivers, and gave out four warnings.

4:23 EPS kicking off festive season Checkstop program

Since the start of this year’s campaign, Lethbridge police and Alberta Sheriffs have checked around 850 vehicles, caught eight impaired drivers, given out three warnings, and issued 46 violation tickets.

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“We’re always thankful that police are catching these impaired drivers before they create a crash and possibly injure or kill somebody, and then we’re dealing with the victim side of it,” said Anita Huchala, president of M.A.D.D. Lethbridge and Area.

Huchala argued driving impaired is never a risk you should take.

“I think people think that maybe it won’t happen to them, maybe they’re not far from home and they can just do a quick drive and get home, but again anything can happen at any time and we’re just asking that people drive safe and sober,” said Huchala.

Paxman suggests finding a taxi, phoning a friend, or staying the night if you have been consuming alcohol.

“You don’t need to be driving impaired on your way home from a bar or a party,” said Paxman. “Plan ahead and just get home safe.”

At a check stop, police check documents, and drivers blow into a breathalyzer for a mandatory breath sample, used to analyze blood alcohol concentration.

Drivers with a blood alcohol concentration over 0.08 could face criminal charges upon conviction.