4,477 vehicles checked on National Impaired Driving Enforcement Day

**** RCMP Media Release

4,477 vehicles checked on National Impaired Driving Enforcement Day

On December 7, Nova Scotia RCMP checked 4,477 vehicles and conducted 81 checkpoints as part of National Impaired Driving Enforcement Day (NIDED).​ ​

NIDED is one of various events throughout the year where police increase sobriety checkpoints across the province to help keep roads safe.

During NIDED:

• ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​five people were charged by Nova Scotia RCMP for Driving while Impaired by Alcohol
• ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​one person was charged for Driving while Impaired by Drug
• ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​one​ person refused to provide to provide a breath sample and was charged withFailure or Refusal to Comply with a Demand
• ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​sevenroadside suspensions were issued due to driving with a Blood Alcohol Content between​ 50-80​ milligrams of alcohol in one hundred milliliters of blood (50mg% to​ 80mg%).

“National Impaired Driving Enforcement Day has come to an end, but we’re on the roads 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to detect impaired drivers and remove them from roadways,” says​ Sgt. Glynis Thomas of the Nova Scotia RCMP.​ “National Impaired Driving Enforcement Day is about sending the message that impaired driving won’t be tolerated. It’s​ not okay and it’s​ not socially acceptable.”

Motorists should remember that sobriety testing comes in many forms, including:

• ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​Approved Screening Devices (done roadside to test breath samples for alcohol). This includes Mandatory Alcohol Screening.
• ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​Approved Instruments (usually done at detachments to test breath samples for alcohol)
• ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​Approved Drug Screening Equipment (done roadside to test oral fluid for THC [the pharmacological active ingredient in cannabis] and cocaine)
• ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​Standardized Field Sobriety Testing (usually done roadside to test for impairment by alcohol and/or drugs)
• ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​Drug Influence Evaluations (usually done at a detachment to test for impairment by drugs)
• ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​Blood samples (done by a medical professional to test for blood drug concentration)

Failure or refusal to participate in sobriety testing may result in criminal charges that have the same or greater penalties than impaired driving. These may include jail time, license suspension, fines and/or being sentenced to driver rehab.

Please report dangerous drivers to police and call​ 911​ if you see someone driving in a way that is an immediate threat to public safety.

It helps to know:

• ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​your location
• ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​a description of the vehicle, including the license plate number, colour, make and model
• ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​the vehicle’s direction of travel
• ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​a description of the driver (if visible)

Nova Scotia RCMP would like to thank the thousands of motorists who help protect their communities by always driving sober. That decision saves lives.