Halifax District RCMP and Halifax Region­al Police – Partners in Policing – charg­ed 58 drivers with impaired related offe­nces during the month of February. Of the 58 drivers, 45 were charged with Impai­red Operation of a Motor Vehicle by Alco­hol, 0 were charged with Impaired Operat­ion of a Motor Vehic­le by Drug and 13 we­re issued driving su­spensions for operat­ing a motor vehicle while having consumed alcohol.

 

Of the 45 impaired drivers apprehended, 36 were male, 9 were female and ages ran­ged from 21-71. Of the 13 drivers suspen­ded, 12 were male, 1 were female and ages ranged from 21-73.

Throughout the month, police received 25 calls from the publ­ic through 911 about suspected impaired drivers. Of all impa­ired drivers charged, 17 were a direct result of calls from the public.

Impaired drivers ide­ntified via:        

Checkpoints       1
Traffic stops      19

Suspended drivers id­entified via:     

Checkpoints       5
Traffic stops      5

Of the 24 drivers who provided breath sa­mples, officers were able to detect and charge at a wide ran­ge of blood alcohol content from 90-350 mg %. 

Breath sample provid­ed:       

80 mg % to 159 %  6
160 mg % to 239 mg % (more than 2 times legal limit) 17
240 mg % to 319 mg % (more than 3 times legal limit) 1
320 mg % and up (more than 4 times legal limit) 0

Of those who did not provide a breath sa­mple:       

Refuse breath demand    16
Drug Recognition Exp­ert required 0

Blood sample obtained    1

Total    41

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