Big ticket event in Edmonton hands out 2,108 tickets over 24-hour period

EDMONTON – Speeding, impaired driving, and flossing while driving- these were some of the offences Edmonton police witnessed during their big ticket event last week.

‘Operation 24-Hours’ ran from 7:00 a.m. Friday to 7:00 a.m. Saturday. During that time, the Edmonton Police Service (EPS) handed out 2,108 tickets. 1,519 of those tickets, or 72 per cent, were for speeding.

On Friday, police caught a motorist driving 149 km/h in a 70 km/h zone on Yellowhead Trail. With assistance from Air-1, the police helicopter, officers followed the vehicle to a parking lot in the area of 118 Avenue and 170 Street. Police say the driver had a blood alcohol content well over the legal limit and was charged with impaired operation of a motor vehicle.

While Operation 24-Hours mainly focuses on catching speeders, officers handed out tickets for a number of traffic offences, including distracted driving.

Also on Friday, police spotted a woman flossing her teeth while driving. Officers say when they approached the vehicle, the woman was brushing her teeth with an electric toothbrush.