Sign up for the paNOW newsletter

P.A. drivers pass weekend test with flying colours

Dec 17, 2018 | 4:00 PM

Prince Albert drivers were on their best behaviour this past weekend, according to numbers gathered by the local Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) chapter.

Over the course of two and a half hours Saturday night, there were zero impaired drivers and zero open cases of alcohol cases found in the 200 vehicles that went through two separate check stops in the city. Local MADD Chapter President Trina Cockle told paNOW she was very impressed.

“I kind of was quite surprised given the time of year it is and there were a lot of people coming home from hockey tournaments, the Raiders game, and a lot of families out shopping,” she said.

The check stops were set up from 8:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Second Ave. W near Lakeland Ford and on 15th St. E near Leon’s Furniture. Cockle said if she had to guess, she would say this year has been better than past years, but added as a whole their group members see fewer impaired drivers at the check steps.

At the Prince Albert Board of Police Commissioners meeting Monday morning, the police service’s statistics for impaired driving were discussed. The report revealed there were 175 impaired driving charges in the city last year compared to 145 for 2018, up until the end of November. Cockle said her group often gets criticized for posting on social media when check stops will be happening, even if the exact locations and times are not shared. There are some who believe police would catch more impaired drivers if the check stop dates were kept a secret.

“It’s not only about standing out there in the cold and stopping people, it’s about just raising the awareness too. You know if 1,600 people have seen that post, they might think twice,” she said.

Cockle said she thinks one of the biggest contributing factors to the numbers dropping has been more work by police around the year to set up check stops, not just at Christmas time.

Starting Tuesday, stricter drunk driving legislation takes effect across Canada, giving police officers the right to demand a breath sample from any driver they lawfully stop. The previous legislation required reasonable suspicion a person was drinking. The new law, which passed in June, also bumps up the maximum penalties for many alcohol-impaired driving offences to 10 years from five.

According to federal statistics, an average of almost four people die in Canada daily due to impaired driving.

 

— with files from The Canadian Press
nigel.maxwell@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @nigelmaxwell