The Weyburn Police Service received a call reporting a suspected impaired driver last Friday. The vehicle was located by patrol officers and a mandatory alcohol screening demand was issued. The sample resulted in a warning, the driver was given a three-day driving suspension and a three-day vehicle impoundment.
Sergeant Shane St. John commented on the incident emphasizing the importance of Report Impaired Driving (RID) calls saying, “they're so important for us to get.”
Sgt St. John explains the warning stage is between 0.08 and 0.04 BAC. However, it’s not the only contributing factor when an impaired driver is charged.
“If you're driving in a matter that is impaired driving, like you're all over the road, crossing the line. Maybe when you're out of the vehicle, you're having trouble standing, you're slurring your words, you can still get an impaired charge. You're just not over .08. Your actions show that you are impaired by the alcohol or the drug that's in your body.”
Sgt St. John reminds motorists to always report suspected impaired drivers.
“It's that driving action, whether it be speed, whether it be all over the road, just that out-of-the-norm driving. It's so out-of-the-norm that you're concerned as a citizen ‘I've got to phone the police. I've got to get a plate number. I've got to report what I'm seeing because someone might get hurt.’”
The Weyburn Police Service responded to 85 calls for service from September 9th through 15th. A total of 39 charges resulted, four were laid under the Criminal Code of Canada, 14 under the Traffic Safety Act, and one for failure to attend court.