Calgary police kick off holiday Checkstop season
Posted Dec 10, 2023 1:49 pm.
Calgary police launched its holiday Checkstop campaign Friday night on Stoney Trail, reminding motorists to drive safely.
While checkstops are done year-round, police, along with Alberta Sheriffs, boost their visibility to deter impaired drivers, especially during the holiday season.
Under the roadside prevention program, those pulled into a checkstop will be asked to blow into a breathalyzer. Those who fail face an immediate 90-day license suspension and, depending on the circumstances, may face criminal charges.
Acting Sgt. David Dentandt says since the Immediate Roadside Sanctions Program went live, more drivers have been ticketed.
“Prior to starting the Immediate Roadside Sanctions Program, we were charging around 500 or so impaired drivers each year,” Dentandt said to reporters.
“Since this new immediate roadside sanction program started, we’ve almost tripled that in catching the impaired drivers. So, we’re not seeing less, we’re actually able to catch them on a more regular basis.”
Accordingly, drivers under the GDL Program won’t be subject to the Immediate Roadside Sanction, instead, they would be subject to the Alberta Zero Alcohol/Drug Tolerance Program.
The program states that if the breath sample indicates a blood alcohol concentration over 80 milligrams of alcohol in 100 ml of blood, and the officer has “reasonable grounds to believe the driver is impaired by alcohol, drugs, or their combination, or if the driver refuses/fails to provide a breath or fluid sample,” the officer can serve an Alberta Administrative Licence Suspension and lay an impaired driving criminal charge.
Vehicles can be seized for up to seven days, while licence suspensions range from three days to 30 days based on the number of offences.
As both a Calgarian and a police officer, Staff Sgt. John Guigon is both pleased and a bit frustrated that police efforts are still required to pull impaired drivers off the streets.
“As a citizen, I would probably be a little upset that, after decades of education about the dangers of drunk driving and impaired driving, we still have to do those things, that you’d think that people would be sufficiently educated to not make those choices, but they still happen every day,” he told CityNews.
This also comes as the Calgary Police Service acknowledges impaired-driving prevention month in the Alberta Traffic Safety Calendar.
Watch: Calgary police step up impaired driving enforcement
Officers are teaming up with MADD Calgary to share “important messages” for Calgarians about choosing “safe ways to travel rather than getting behind the wheel after drinking or using drugs.”
According to Statistics Canada, impaired driving is a major public safety issue and a leading criminal cause of death in this country.
It is, however, completely avoidable.
Officers are asking Calgarians to plan for a safe ride this season, but if there are plans to consume alcohol or drugs, they say to make alternative arrangements through rideshare, Calgary Transit, or by calling a friend.
-With files from Duncan Elias
