Recent crackdown finds more people driving drunk, high
Numbers are out from December awareness campaign
Results are in from the Kelowna RCMP’s ‘Operation CounterAttack,’ and the data is not good.
The campaign ran throughout December and focused on keeping impaired drivers off the roads.
From Dec. 1 to Dec. 29, officers caught 60 impaired drivers, according to a media release.
The charges ranged from a three to 90-day immediate roadside suspension.
Officers tested 14 drivers for being behind the wheel while on drugs and charges are pending once results come back from the RCMP Forensics Lab.
On average, an officer trained to assess if people are under the influence of drugs, also known as a drug recognition expert, will perform about three tests per year, Sgt. Mark Booth said.
“The fact that our officers performed 14 drug tests during the month of December, indicates more drivers are using illegal or prescription drugs and getting behind the wheel,” he added.
During last year’s operation, Kelowna RCMP officers removed 39 impaired drivers and performed just two drug tests.
Published 2022-01-21 by Connor Chan
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