497 impaired driving offences reported in October
Results from the October Traffic Safety Spotlight on impaired driving are in, and police agencies across Saskatchewan reported a total of 497 impaired driving offences last month.
That total consists of:
201 Criminal Code charges
People who are charged under federal legislation; and
296 administrative suspensions
People who aren’t charged criminally but have exceeded provincial limits and face tough administrative penalties.
Due to more effective enforcement, the number of administrative suspensions has risen sharply this year. There has been a notable increase in the number of people caught driving with drugs in their system, coinciding with increased police access to roadside oral fluid testing devices that can determine whether a driver has consumed cannabis and other drugs.
Saskatchewan has a zero tolerance for drug-impaired driving, which means drivers should not get behind the wheel with any level of impairing drugs in their system that is detectable by a federally approved screening device. More information about how drug-impaired driving is enforced can be found here.
Alcohol, cannabis, various street drugs and numerous medications can impair your ability to safely operate a motor vehicle. People who make the decision to drive after using drugs put themselves at risk and are subject to the same penalties as driving under the influence of alcohol. That includes licence suspensions, vehicle impoundments, financial penalties and a mandatory impaired driving education program.
In early November, SGI launched a new awareness campaign as a reminder that we all have plenty of options to get home safe.
Other results from October:
763 tickets for distracted driving (including 640 for drivers using cellphones);
4,338 tickets for other speeding or aggressive driving offences; and
281 tickets for seatbelt and car seat offences.