According to the latest monthly numbers from SGI, impaired driving wasn't as prevalent in the province in May as it was the year before. (File photo/980 CJME Staff)

By Rob Mahon

Few Impaired Drivers

SGI reports over 300 impaired drivers, but few in P.A.

Jun 23, 2022 | 12:00 PM

With an emphasis on looking for impaired drivers in May, SGI reported that police found 328 of them. However, not many of those were in Prince Albert.

Prince Albert Police reported only two criminal code charges and one suspension related to impaired driving in May. Relative to the wider province, that’s a low number that SGI is always relieved to see.

“You want to see those numbers as low as possible,” said Tyler McMurchy, manager of media relations for SGI. “When you see a high number of offences, it can indicate a focus on that particular offence or a particular blitz related to the offence in question.”

As high as the number 328 may seem, that actually represents a step in the right direction as well. SGI is quick to point out that their ideal number is zero, but May saw a step in the right direction relative to other traffic safety spotlights.

“Overall, in the province, we saw lower numbers than in previous years,” said McMurchy. “In May of 2021, we saw more than 500 impaired driving offences province-wide. To see that number lower for May 2022 was encouraging.”

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One area where impaired driving isn’t slowing down is in drivers impaired by drugs. It’s not necessarily exclusively those impaired by cannabis, but since the legalization of cannabis for recreational use, the number of those caught driving impaired by drugs has risen.

“That doesn’t necessarily mean more people are driving impaired by drugs,” McMurchy said. “Obviously people were using cannabis and other drugs even before cannabis became legal in 2018. But police do have additional training and additional tools to catch people impaired by cannabis and they are likely putting more of a focus on looking for them.”

According to McMurchy, Saskatchewan saw 76 license suspensions in 2019 related to drug use. In 2021, police issued 523 administrative license suspensions for people failing roadside drug screening tests or performing poorly on field sobriety tests.

“Cannabis is legal, and we’re not saying you’re not allowed to use it,” said McMurchy. “We’re saying you’re not allowed to use it and then drive.”

McMurchy added that they’re cautious of reporting monthly numbers because they can go up and down due to other factors besides people’s usage. He adds their most important numbers are those of people injured or killed in impaired driving collisions, and those numbers are trending the right way over the last five years.

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rob.mahon@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @RobMahonPxP