Kelowna has the second highest rate of police-reported impaired driving incidents in the country according to the latest Statistics Canada numbers.
While it’s a dubious distinction, it’s actually a step up for the city; in 2015, Kelowna took top spot for impaired driving incidents.
READ MORE: Is the Okanagan Canada’s hotbed for drunk driving?
Recently-released statistics show B.C. cities have some of the highest rates of police-reported impaired driving incidents in Canada.
But the data can be interpreted in different ways: Do these cities really have higher rates of drunk driving, or just really good enforcement?
Statistics Canada ranked 33 census metropolitan areas across Canada and found St. John’s, Newfoundland had the highest number of police-reported incidents at 411 out of every 100,000 people.
B.C. was the only province to have as many as three cities in the top 10.
At the bottom of the list, five cities in Ontario reported the lowest number of police-reported incidents: London (90), Toronto (87), Windsor (86), Ottawa (82), and Kingston (62).
But despite having several cities in the top 10, B.C. ranked ninth in Canada among provinces and territories for impaired driving rates. The number was low thanks to a smaller rate in Vancouver at 164.
READ MORE: Three B.C. cities make top 10 drunk driving list
With tough drunk-driving laws, the B.C. government says that alcohol-related motor vehicle deaths have decreased by 52 per cent since the Immediate Roadside Prohibition regulations were passed in 2010.
MADD Canada CEO Andrew Murie says the numbers are complicated.
“It’s more about police practice than the numbers around impaired driving. B.C. by far does more enforcement on impaired driving than any other province,” he said.
“Police are doing a really good job of catching who’s out there. B.C. is the model program for Canada.”
Murie says B.C. could have better enforcement for young drivers. He suggested the province move to a zero-tolerance policy for drivers aged 22 or younger, like several provinces have done.
Drunk driving also appears to be a charge that largely affects men more than women, however the gap may be shrinking. Eighty per cent of people charged with impaired driving in 2015 were men, but the number of females charged has increased over the last 30 years.
In 1986, women accounted for only eight per cent of drunk driving charges.
Another factor affecting the impaired driving rate appears to be sports and social activity, Statistics Canada found.
Data shows 7.3 per cent of people who play a team sport reported driving drunk in 2014 compared to only 3.9 per cent of people who didn’t play sports.
People who played golf and skiing or snowboarding were the most likely to drink and drive, at 10 per cent and 8.5 per cent respectively.
Regina, Victoria and Moncton, respectively, rounded out the top five.
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