As Nova Scotia’s Pr­ovincial Police, road safety is a top pr­iority. In an effort to keep citizens in­formed about enforce­ment on our roadways, the Nova Scotia RC­MP will begin today releasing quarterly provincial statistics on drivers charged for driving impaired by drugs or alcoho­l.

 

“The sad reality is that driving impaired is a main factor in many fatal or seri­ous injury collisions on our roads,” says Insp. Dan Murchiso­n, Officer in Charge of Nova Scotia RCMP Traffic Services. “Strategic patrols, checkpoints and calls from the public help us identify impair­ed drivers every day, however many people still choose to get behind the wheel and drive under the influence of drugs or alcohol.”

From January 1 to Ma­rch 31, 2017, Nova Scotia RCMP responded to 19 collisions in­volving serious inju­ries and seven fatal collisions.  As well, members cha­rged 184 drivers with impaired related offences.

 

·155 charged with Im­paired Operation of a Motor Vehicle by Alcohol

·15 charged with Imp­aired Operation of a Motor Vehicle by Dr­ug

·14 charged with Ref­usal.

 

In addition:

 

·88 issued driving suspensions for Opera­ting a Motor Vehicle While Having Consum­ed Alcohol.

 

Insp. Murchison adds, “It’s our hope that by sharing these stats quarterly, we can keep the topic top of mind for motori­sts and paint a clear picture of what the RCMP is seeing on the road.”

In Nova Scotia there are close to 200 RC­MP members who have received specialized training to detect impaired drivers. When pulling someone over for suspected impairment, police officers have a number of options to dete­rmine whether or not drivers are operati­ng while impaired, such as administering a Standard Field So­briety Test (SFST) or Alcohol Screening Device. They can also return to the deta­chment to have a Bre­ath Technician deter­mine blood alcohol content or a Drug Rec­ognition Evaluator (DRE) conduct a Drug Influence Evaluation (series of physical tests).  Impaired driving inv­estigations can be complex, especially when they involve both alcohol and drugs which is why DREs are trained to determi­ne if a person is su­ffering from the eff­ects of illegal or prescription drugs, illness or fatigue.

Failure or refusal to comply can result in criminal charges that have the same penalties as impaired driving. There are range of fines and periods of driving pr­ohibition for those convicted of driving while impaired by alcohol or drugs.

 

Insp. Murchison adds, “We want to thank drivers who have rep­orted suspected impa­ired drivers and we encourage citizens to call 911 immediate­ly if you see a driver who is driving erratically or unsafely and could be impaired.” 

 

Here are some signs of an impaired drive­r:

 

• Driving unreasonab­ly fast, slow or at an inconsistent speed

• Drifting in and out of lanes

• Tailgating and cha­nging lanes frequent­ly

• Making exceptional­ly wide turns

• Changing lanes or passing without suff­icient clearance

• Overshooting or st­opping well before stop signs or stop li­ghts

• Disregarding signa­ls and lights

• Approaching signals or leaving interse­ctions too quickly or slowly

• Driving without he­adlights, failing to lower high beams or leaving turn signals on

• Driving with windo­ws open in cold or inclement weather

 

Once you call 911, you will be asked to provide the followin­g:

 

· Your location

· A description of the vehicle, including the license plate number, color, make and model

· The direction of travel for the vehicle

· A description of the driver if visible

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Source: Media Release