FILE PHOTO
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/RCMP
January 21, 2022 - 12:00 PM
Kelowna RCMP removed 60 impaired drivers from the city's roads last December.
According to a Jan. 21 Kelowna RCMP media release, Operation CounterAttack saw a 54 per cent increase in the number of impaired drivers taken off the road compared to December 2020.
In 2020, Kelowna RCMP's Operation CounterAttack saw 39 impaired drivers removed from the road and officers performed two evaluations on drivers impaired by drugs.
READ MORE: More people in B.C. driving while high since legalization: study
The number of Drug Recognition Expert evaluations jumped to 14 in December 2021.
"On average, a (Drug Recognition Expert) officer will perform approximately three evaluations per year," Kelowna RCMP Sgt. Mark Booth said in the release. "The fact that our officers performed 14 tests during the month of December, indicates more drivers are using illegal or prescription drugs and getting behind the wheel."
RCMP said charges are pending against the 14 drivers allegedly impaired by drugs and are waiting for results from the RCMP forensics lab.
The impaired drivers removed from the roads failed roadside breathalyzer tests and either received a three-day suspension, a 90-day suspension both under the Motor Vehicle Act, or more seriously, a 90-day suspension including charges under the Criminal Code.
To contact a reporter for this story, email Ben Bulmer or call (250) 309-5230 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.
We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above.
News from © iNFOnews, 2022