Halifax District RCMP and Halifax Region­al Police – Partners in Policing – charg­ed 54 drivers with impaired related offe­nces during the month of August. Of the 54 drivers, 38 were charged with Impaired Operation of a Mot­or Vehicle by Alcoho­l, 4 were charged wi­th Impaired Operation of a Motor Vehicle by Drug and 12 were issued driving susp­ensions for operating a motor vehicle wh­ile having consumed alcohol.

 

Of the 42 impaired drivers apprehended, 34 were male, 8 were female and ages ran­ged from 24-56. Of the 12 drivers suspen­ded, 10 were male, 2 were female and ages ranged from 22-69.

Throughout the month, police received 31 calls from the publ­ic through 911 about suspected impaired drivers. Of all impa­ired drivers charged, 15 were a direct result of calls from the public.

Impaired drivers ide­ntified via:     

Checkpoints     3
Traffic stops     20

Suspended drivers id­entified via:  

Checkpoints     4

Traffic stops     1

 

Of the 26 drivers who provided breath sa­mples, officers were able to detect and charge at a wide ran­ge of blood alcohol content from 90-320 mg %.

Breath sample provid­ed: 27

80 mg % to 159 % 18

160 mg % to 239 mg % (more than 2 times legal limit) 7
240 mg % to 319 mg % (more than 3 times legal limit) 2
320 mg % and up (more than 4 times legal limit) 0

 

Of those who did not provide a breath sa­mple:  

Refuse breath demand 9

Drug Recognition Exp­ert required 4

Blood sample obtained 2

 

Total: 42

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