Posted:
Halifax Regional Police charged 43 drivers with impaired related offences during the month of April.
The breakdown of the charges are as follows:
- 34 of the drivers were under the influence of alcohol and charged with impaired operation
- 3 drivers were under the influence of drugs and charged with impaired operation
- 6 were issued driving suspensions for operating a motor vehicle while having consumed alcohol
Of the 27 drivers who provided breath samples, officers were able to detect a wide range of blood alcohol concentrations (80-230mg%), with 9 of the drivers being at least twice the legal limit. Seven of the drivers refused to provide a breath sample and were charged with the offence of refusal.
Last month citizens concerned for the safety of our roads alerted police to nine impaired drivers. We thank citizens for calling in suspected impaired drivers and encourage you to 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
If you see a potential impaired driver, call 911, give them your location and:
- a description of the vehicle, including the license plate number, colour, make and model
- the direction of travel for the vehicle
- a description of the driver