Week one of the 2018 RCMP Holiday Checkstop program, running from December 1-9, resulted in 28 people being charged for impaired driving.
The Manitoba RCMP officially launched its 2018 Holiday Checkstop program on December 1, 2018, and it will run until January 1, 2019. The focus of checkstops is the detection of high-risk drivers, including those who are impaired, not wearing a seatbelt, speeding, or driving while distracted.
Week one of the 2018 RCMP Holiday Checkstop Program resulted in approximately 2500 vehicles being checked across Manitoba during 59 checkstops.
Statistics from both checkstops and regular patrol during the week include:
- 28 people charged with a Criminal Code Impaired Driving offence (23 alcohol, 2 drug, 3 refusals)
- The highest blood/alcohol reading reported was .27 (3.5 times more than the legal limit)
- Eight alcohol or drug-related tiered administrative roadside suspensions
- Nine people were charged with improper storage of alcohol or cannabis in a vehicle
- Ten people were ticketed for using a hand-held electronic device while driving
- Four people were ticketed for not wearing a seatbelt
“Safe and responsible driving is a choice every Manitoban needs to make this holiday season. Be assured that our officers will be out in full force over the holidays to get impaired drivers off the road,” said Insp. Chris Moore, Officer in Charge of Traffic Services. “Consider your safety and the safety of everyone else on the road before you get behind the wheel, and make the smart choice. Plan ahead for a safe ride home to avoid serious, and possibly fatal, consequences.”
RCMP report that there was a traffic-related fatality in Fisher Branch and another in Swan River during the past week. The causes in both collisions are still under investigation.
To date this year, 80 people have died, and 189 people have been seriously injured in motor vehicle collisions in Manitoba RCMP jurisdiction. Impaired driving is a factor in approximately 30 percent of these collisions.
