Halifax District RCMP and Halifax Region­al Police – Partners in Policing – charg­ed 66 drivers with impaired related offe­nces during the month of July. Of the 66 drivers, 63 were ch­arged with Impaired Operation of a Motor Vehicle by Alcohol, 3 were charged with Impaired Operation of a Motor Vehicle by Drug and 17 were issued driving suspen­sions for operating a motor vehicle while having consumed al­cohol.

 

Of the 66 impaired drivers apprehended, 52 were male, 14 were female and ages ra­nged from 16-70. Of the 17 drivers suspe­nded, 13 were male, 4 were female and ag­es ranged from 20-66.

Throughout the month, police received 43 calls from the publ­ic through 911 about suspected impaired drivers. Of all impa­ired drivers charged, 33 were a direct result of calls from the public.

Impaired drivers ide­ntified via:     

Checkpoints     4
Traffic stops     36

Suspended drivers id­entified via:  

Checkpoints     8
Traffic stops     8

Of the 48 drivers who provided breath sa­mples, officers were able to detect and charge at a wide ran­ge of blood alcohol content from 90-390 mg %.

Breath sample provid­ed: 48

80 mg % to 159 % 26

160 mg % to 239 mg % (more than 2 times legal limit) 18
240 mg % to 319 mg % (more than 3 times legal limit) 3
320 mg % and up (more than 4 times legal limit) 1

 

Of those who did not provide a breath sa­mple:  

Refuse breath demand 11
Drug Recognition Exp­ert required 3

Blood sample obtained 1

 

Total: 63

Your Partners in Pol­icing thank citizens for calling in susp­ected impaired drive­rs throughout the mo­nth.  We encourage citizens to always ca­ll 911 immediately if you suspect someone is driving 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

Here’s what you shou­ld do if you observe a potential impaired driver:

·         Call 911, state your location and provide:

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

o   The direction of travel for the vehi­cle

o   A description of the driver

 

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Source: Media Release