BC Highway Patrol said the August long weekend was a safe one for drivers in the Terrace area.
Between August 2 and 5, officers issued 54 roadside breath tests under Canada’s Mandatory Alcohol Screening rules. Those tests led to a 90/30-day driving ban, a three-day ban, and a 24-hour ban.
Luckily, there were no impaired driving deaths in the area. Corporal Michael McLaughlin said roadside tests aren’t accusing anyone about anything.
“We don’t actually have suspicion that they are impaired by alcohol. That’s the whole point of the mandatory demand, it doesn’t require suspicion,” he said. “We do that quick test, overall we can make the roads much safer by keeping more impaired drivers off the road”.
Officers were also busy with other issues, handing out more than 100 speeding tickets, six excessive speeding fines that resulted in vehicle impounds, plus tickets for phone use and not wearing a seatbelt.
McLaughlin said the message for drivers is simple.
“What we want is safe roads. We’re not trying to go after you. At the end of the day, we want you to go home safely.”
