Murray Wood The end of the great Canadian game as we know it
The last Roughrider home game was the last CFL game in Saskatchewan played on a CFL-sized field. Murray Wood thinks it's...
Hundreds of drivers in Saskatchewan are paying the price for getting behind the wheel while impaired.
According to SGI, the month of March saw police across Saskatchewan issue 312 licence suspensions for impaired drivers over provincial limits. Police also laid 142 Criminal Code charges for impaired driving.
SGI worked with the Regina Police Service in March on an initiative that saw police perform a roadside breath test on every driver police pulled over.
“Under federal legislation passed in 2018, police have the legal authority to demand a quick roadside breath test of any driver they stop,” SGI noted in a statement, adding that drivers face penalties for refusing to provide a breath sample.
According to SGI, the initiative was a successful one in Regina.
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“Police say that mandatory alcohol screening catches impaired drivers who would have otherwise gone undetected,” the Crown insurer noted.
“The Regina Police Service said mandatory alcohol screening caught nine drivers exceeding the .08 blood alcohol concentration (BAC) Criminal Code limit, while another six were issued suspensions for exceeding the provincial limit (.04 BAC).”
The Saskatchewan RCMP recently announced a similar initiative, requiring a breath sample during all lawful traffic stops “on an ongoing basis.”
“While enforcement can reduce the number of impaired drivers, the better option would be for everyone to make the decision to never get behind the wheel under the influence of alcohol or drugs,” SGI said.
During March, SGI said police also issued 548 tickets for distracted driving, including 446 for using a cellphone. March also saw police issue 375 tickets for seatbelt and car seat violations and 4,473 tickets for speeding and aggressive driving.
