The province’s month-long CounterAttack campaign gets rolling tomorrow.
It’s when BC RCMP Traffic Services and its partners amplify their enforcement efforts across B.C. to stop impaired drivers during the holiday season.
The campaign includes the National Impaired Driving Enforcement Day and a one-day provincial blitz next Friday, Dec. 6.
That’s when motorists can expect to see a heightened police presence in many areas of the province targeting impaired drivers.
This will include coordinated efforts like Island District Traffic Services’ Light Up the Highway event with planned check-stops running the length of Vancouver Island on the same day.
Provincial statistics show that an average of 68 people die each year in crashes involving alcohol, drugs or medication (five year average from 2013 to 2017).
This makes impaired driving one of the leading causes of death on B.C. roadways.
“Impaired driving, defined as driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs, is entirely preventable yet it continues to happen with devastating consequences,” the BC RCMP said in a release.
“Police will be using every resource at their disposal to get impaired drivers off the road including the use of Standardized Field Sobriety Testing and specially trained Drug Recognition Experts. Police are also fully prepared to enforce the federal Cannabis Act and BC’s Cannabis Control and Licensing Act.”
Superintendent Holly Turton, the Officer in Charge of BC RCMP Traffic Services, said poor decisions can have tragic consequences for you and others.
“Please make alternate arrangements if you plan to consume anything that can impair your ability to drive,” Turton added.
“By finding alternative ways home such as public transit, taxi or a designated driver, you can ensure that you, and others sharing the road with you, get to their destination safely. If you do drive, please make it a habit to drive sober every time you get behind the wheel.”
You can expect to see numerous police road-checks throughout the province throughout December, and police is asking everyone to drive safely and obey the direction of officers at all check-stops.
