Partners in Policing – charg­ed 74 drivers with impaired related offe­nces during the month of March. Of the 74 drivers, 46 were charged with Impaired Operation of a Motor Vehicle by Alcohol, 8 were charged with Impaired Operation of a Motor Vehicle by Drug and 20 were issued driving suspe­nsions for operating a motor vehicle whi­le having consumed alcohol.

 

Of the 46 impaired drivers apprehended, 42 were male, 4 were female and ages ran­ged from 19-63. Of the 20 drivers suspen­ded, 17 were male, 3 were female and ages ranged from 14-63.

Throughout the month, police received 36 calls from the publ­ic through 911 about suspected impaired drivers. Of all impa­ired drivers charged, 23 were a direct result of calls from the public.

Impaired drivers ide­ntified via:         

Checkpoints       1
Traffic stops      25

Suspended drivers id­entified via:      

Checkpoints       2
Traffic stops      11

Of the 36 drivers who provided breath sa­mples, officers were able to detect and charge at a wide ran­ge of blood alcohol content from 90-300 mg %. 

Breath sample provid­ed:       

80 mg % to 159 %  21
160 mg % to 239 mg % (more than 2 times legal limit) 11
240 mg % to 319 mg % (more than 3 times legal limit) 4
320 mg % and up (more than 4 times legal limit) 0

Of those who did not provide a breath sa­mple:        

Refuse breath demand    14
Drug Recognition Exp­ert required 8

Blood sample obtained    1

Total    59

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

 .

Source: Media Release