Police say in total they checked 1,359 vehicles through mandatory alcohol screening check stops throughout December and charged 34 motorists with impaired driving.--NEWS FILE PHOTO
bmiller@medicinehatnews.com
The Medicine Hat Police Service, alongside Alberta Sheriffs, issued 34 impaired driving charges while conducting local check stops throughout the month of December.
Police say in total they checked 1,359 vehicles through mandatory alcohol screening check stops to make sure motorists weren’t consuming alcohol while operating their vehicle.
In Alberta a motorist will fail an immediate roadside sanction (IRS) if their blood alcohol concentration is 0.08 or more.
The consequences for failing an IRS can result in a minimum fine of $1,000 and a licence suspension ranging from 30 days to a lifetime, as well as the possibility of additional criminal charges.
“If you decide to consume alcohol before driving, yes you are affecting everybody that’s on the roadway with you. So that’s why we’re trying to make sure that our streets are clear of impaired drivers,” said Traffic Sgt. Stacey Fishley.
Specifically over the Christmas and New Year’s weekend, police charged four motorists with impaired driving. As well, one novice driver was charged with impaired driving and five motorists who had a high enough blood alcohol level received a warning and had their vehicles seized and their licence suspended.
“If you have plans to go out and consume you should also have plans on a way for how to get home. That’s very important to just remind people that if you’re making plans it’s not just to go out, it’s also on how you get home as well, just so that everybody’s safe,” said Fishley.
During December 2022 police issued 31 impaired driving charges, so there was a slight increase this past December.
“So we’ve had an increase of three from last year, which isn’t bad, I’ve seen worse in the past. But this is pretty good. So I think we succeeded and I think the message is getting out there that people shouldn’t drive after they’ve consumed alcohol,” said Fishley.
Police say extra help from the Alberta Sheriffs allowed them to conduct check stops more efficiently while working to cause a minimum disruption to the flow of traffic.
“Having the Alberta Sheriffs assist on one or two of the occasions was also helpful as well, because it gave us four bodies out there and it helps to prevent traffic congestion when we’re testing everybody,” said Fishley.
A failed IRS is an impaired driving charge under provincial regulations but not a charge under the criminal code.
