Since immediate roadside suspensions were reinstated in mid-June across the province, the Port Moody Police Department has handed out 22 90-day suspensions to drivers for failing a roadside-screening test.
Photograph by: NOW , file
Police in Port Moody have kept themselves busy this summer taking drunk drivers off the roads.
Since immediate roadside suspensions were reinstated in mid-June across the province, the Port Moody Police Department has handed out 22 90-day suspensions to drivers for failing a roadsidescreening test.
That proves to be a significant drop from the 41 90-day suspensions handed out during the same period in 2011.
The department also handed out four 90-day suspensions for refusing a test, compared to three the previous summer.
In total, the force noted 56 drivers have been removed from Port Moody roads for impaired driving from alcohol or other drugs.
The department isn't really sure why there is a drop in the number of 90-day suspensions, but a spokesperson said the hope is the message is out that there are significant penalties in place for drinking and driving.
"We also rely heavily on the public to report impaired drivers as drinking and driving continues to be one of our most significant road safety issues," said department Staff Sgt. Manjinder Kaila in an email to The NOW.
He also noted the Port Moody police have been proactive this summer with impaired driving enforcement, conducting both static and mobile enforcement in an effort to remove drunk drivers from the streets.
The rest of the impaired driving stats provided by the department from this summer are fairly consistent with 2011.
A total of five drivers were handed 24-hour suspensions for drugs, compared to six in 2011.
There have been 18 seven-day suspensions issued for receiving a warning on a roadside test, compared to 19 the previous summer.
A total of six 12-hour roadside suspensions have been issued, a slight drop from seven in 2011.
The department has handed out just one three-day suspension for a warning, compared to three during the same time in 2011.
Earlier this month, Coquitlam RCMP released numbers from the first half of their summer CounterAttack program, which showed a dramatic drop in the number of motorists being busted for drinking and driving.
In July, local Mounties caught 37 impaired drivers, compared to 71 during the same month last year. The force will likely be offering an update on the program in the coming weeks.
The province made changes to immediate roadside prohibitions in response to a B.C. Supreme Court ruling that inadequate appeal mechanisms made the provisions unconstitutional.
jdeutsch@thenownews.com
