Fewer Impaired Driving Offences in 2017 Than in Previous Years

Chad Pimlott

In a news release published by SGI, it has become public that "December 2017 saw the lowest number of impaired driving offences recorded in December in the four years we've been doing monthly Traffic Safety Spotlights."

On November 19th, 2017, SGI published a humorous parody of "Twas the Night Before Christmas" to their website; that included witty-yet-ominous lines such as:

"Twas the month before Christmas and all through the land / many police were patrolling, with breath testers in hand...."

and "Dad spoke not a word...but could not mask his shame / mom sat there, teeth clenched, cursing his name / the officer explained, as he looked at the blood alcohol fail / "Happy Christmas to all...except you sir; off to jail."

It was a cautionary tale, meant to both remind people of the risks they take when they decide to drink and drive; and how easily it could greatly affect the lives of otherwise law-abiding citizens. 

It's not unusual for SGI and Saskatchewan Police Forces to "crack down" on drinking and driving during the holiday season; but it's also not unusual for people in Saskatchewan to drink and drive. In 2015, the Province led the rest of the country with 575 impaired driving incidents per 100,000 people.

New legislation was introduced in November 2017; including zero tolerance for new drivers; meaning they would face both suspension and impoundment if caught with any amount of alcohol or drugs in their system. And, for the experienced drivers, the provincial legal limit for BAC (Blood Alcohol Content), was moved to .04. 

It seems all the battling against impaired driving is beginning to produce results.

The news release, published by Tyler McMurchy, Media Relations Manager at SGI, claims "Saskatchewan drivers were better behaved this holiday, with fewer people on the "naughty list for impaired driving related offences than in the previous years"

In December 2017, there were 205 Criminal Code charges and 33 roadside suspensions. Some other results 526 distracted driving related offences (443 for cellphone use), 216 offences related to seatbelts and car seats, as well as 3,969 for speeding/aggressive driving.

It's good to see those numbers coming down. Let's hope that trend continues