Authorities in the city of Calgary will be out in force this holiday season, doing their best to keep the roads safe from drunk drivers.
A team of CPS, members of the Alberta Integrated Traffic Unit, and volunteers from the MADD Canada – Calgary Chapter will be setting up their annual holiday Check Stops on Wednesday.
The enhanced stops run throughout the day to complement the regular evening Check Stops that occur year round.
Police say that they stopped more than 5,500 vehicles during the enhanced stops in 2011.
Those netted four impaired driving charges, 19 24 hour suspensions for alcohol usage, and 20 24 hour suspensions for drugs.
In a release, police say these stops are meant to serve as an increased detterent to Calgarians thinking about getting behind the wheel while impaired.
In 2012, there have been 27 fatal crashes that’ve killed 29 people.
11 of those crashes involved alcohol.
Police are also reminding residents about the Report Impaired Driving program which encourages motorists to call 911 if they suspect a driver is impaired.
Signage for the RID program is posted on all CPS cruisers as well as other locations throughout the city.
“The reality is that we can’t be everywhere all the time,” says Inspector Dean Lagrange of the Traffic Section. “We rely on the public’s eyes and ears to let us know about all types of crime, and impaired driving is no different – it’s a crime in progress and we want Calgarians to let us know.”
