Fredericton police report an increase in impaired driving charges

The Fredericton Police Force said 198 people have been charged with impaired driving so far this year.

That is 20 per cent higher than last year’s total of 165 people.

Sgt. Justin LeBlanc said the rise was due to an increase in enforcement, involving the public’s help.

“This year we’ve successfully seen our number of impaired driving charges go up. We made it a force priority to really focus our efforts on preventing and prevention and enforcement of impaired driving,” he said.

The police force has partnered with Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) to raise awareness about impaired driving, including signs that may indicate someone is driving impaired.

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“I think it’s really important that police are out there, so that people know that they’re doing sobriety checks, so that people decide not to do that, and then sadly if people decide to do that their chance of getting caught are higher,” said Steve Sullivan, the CEO of MADD Canada.

Sullivan said part of the rise might be due to people returning to pre-pandemic lifestyles and going out more.

A representative for the Saint John Police said their impaired driving numbers between January and November went down nearly 15 per cent this year compared to the same time last year.

“If we look historically, back to the 80s, the 90s, 2000s, impaired driving is down considerably, but we’re seeing hundreds of Canadians killed every year, and thousands more who suffer serious injuries,” Sullivan said.

To combat a potential increase in impaired driving during the holiday season, Fredericton police are conducting checkpoints on weekends.

Sullivan said as people go out to celebrate with coworkers or family, impaired driving rates often increase.

“We just know they’re celebrating more, and it often involves the consumption of alcohol and/or cannabis,” Sullivan said.

Going into the holidays, LeBlanc has a message for the public: “There are alternatives to drinking and driving. Grab a cab, reach out to family members, any friends, definitely there’s no need to drive under the influence, be it alcohol or any controlled drug.”