Expect to see a lots of traffic cops on the roads and highways in the B.C. southern Interior this Canada Day long weekend.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ICBC
June 29, 2022 - 4:30 PM
Expect to see a lots of traffic cops on the roads and highways in the B.C. southern Interior this Canada Day long weekend.
The annual summertime CounterAttack road checks get underway this Friday, July 1, as officers keep an eye out for inebriated drivers — those who’ve had too much drink or those who have taken drugs, according to an ICBC media release.
“Most people get the message that driving after drinking or consuming drugs is dangerous,” Minister of Public Safety Mike Farnworth said in the release. “Unfortunately, there are still those willing to take a chance with their own lives, the lives of their passengers and the lives of other road users.”
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To help make the argument that driving while under the influence is never a good idea, ICBC has released some sobering statistics.
On average in the southern Interior, 24 people are killed and 360 injured in 600 impaired driving related crashes. Just on Canada Day each year, 27 people are injured in 120 crashes in the region.
The officer in charge of the B.C. Highway Patrol said officers will be out in force in an effort to deter drivers from getting behind the wheel while impaired.
“We will utilize mandatory alcohol screening, Standardized Field Sobriety Testing and Drug Recognition experts to identify and remove alcohol and drug-affected drivers from our roads,” Chief Supt. Holly Turton said in the release.
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