(File photo/paNOW Staff)

By Nigel Maxwell

Impaired driving

Impaired driving charges dropped this year versus 2018

Oct 11, 2019 | 4:57 PM

According to statistics released by city police, there are fewer impaired driving charges in Prince Albert this year versus last.

For September’s monthly crime stats, there has been a nearly 21 per cent decrease in the number of impaired driving charges to date this year (96), compared to this time last year (121). Robyn Keays, President of Prince Albert’s MADD Chapter, said she thinks the introduction of tougher penalties last year has a lot to do with it.

“A lot of people are scared to test the waters so they do find that safe ride home, they do take home an Uber or cab. I find the numbers that are up actually are more repeat offenders,” she said.

The changes, which took effect last August, include any driver (new or experienced) charged with impaired driving under the Criminal Code of Canada having their licence suspended indefinitely until their charges are resolved in court. With the long weekend approaching, Keays said she hopes drivers continue to use common sense.

“My family will be out on the highway, as well as everybody else’s, and I expect my family to come home at the end of the weekend,” she said.

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Provincially, the number of impaired driving offences has also seen a slight decrease year-over-year. From January to August, there were 2,164 charges laid related to impaired driving, compared to 2,265 for the same time period in 2018.

A spokesperson for SGI cautioned paNOW any increase or decrease may not necessarily mean more or less impaired driving was occurring, but rather may just be a reflection of the level of enforcement.

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nigel.maxwell@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @nigelmaxwell