Halifax District RCMP and Halifax Regional Police – Partners in Policing – charged 61 drivers with impaired related offences during the month of March.  Of the 61 drivers, 44 were charged with Impaired Operation of a Motor Vehicle by Alcohol, 3 were charged with Impaired Operation of a Motor Vehicle by Drug and 14 were issued driving suspensions for operating a motor vehicle while having consumed alcohol.

Of the 44 impaired drivers apprehended, 40 were male, 14 were female and ages ranged from 18-67.  Of the 14 drivers suspended, 10 were male, 4 were female and ages ranged from 19-56.

Throughout the month, police received 29 calls from the public through 911 about suspected impaired drivers.  Of all impaired drivers charged, 22 were a direct result of calls from the public.

Impaired drivers identified via:

Checkpoints  7
Traffic stops 30

Suspended drivers identified via:

Checkpoints 6
Traffic stops 18

Of the 27 drivers who provided breath samples, officers were able to detect and charge at a wide range of blood alcohol content from 80-250 mg %.

Breath sample provided:

80 mg % to 159% 16

160 mg % to 239 mg % (more than 2 times legal limit) 16

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 17

Drug Recognition Expert required 3

Blood sample obtained 2

Total  56

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 and provide the following details:

• 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

Source: Media Release