For the month of April, SGI took a look at just how many instances of impaired driving were catalogued in the province and found a trend.
While Criminal Code charges seemed to stay similar to previous years, administrative license suspensions actually rose.
SGI Spokesperson Tyler McMurchy says that they've seen those numbers go up over the past few years.
"When we got the numbers back for April, what we saw was there were 374 offences related to impaired driving last month. So what that includes are 179 people who were issued Criminal Code charges and then 195 people given administrative roadside license suspensions that happened for when you exceed provincial limits for drugs or alcohol but do not reach that criminal threshold. We've seen a substantial number of administrative license suspensions, in fact, that number has over the past two or three years increased substantially, whereas the Criminal Code numbers have remained relatively at the same level or even dipped slightly."
The number of instances is also rising through this year as we get into the warmer months and Summer starts.
"What we have typically seen in the past is as the temperatures get warmer, the number of serious incidents involving impaired driving does increase somewhat," said McMurchy, "We certainly don't want anybody to wreck their summer by wrecking their vehicle or being involved in a collision that, heaven forbid, injures or kills somebody."
McMurchy reminds people that summer means that bikes, farm equipment, and scooters end up on the road and people should be extra careful.
"It's really important to make sure that wherever you're going, whatever you're doing, making sure that you are a safe, sober driver behind the wheel. Obviously, it's beautiful weather," said McMurchy, "It's a great time to go find a patio somewhere and hang out with your friends. But at the end of the day, once that tab is paid at the bar, make sure that you have a plan for a safe ride home and only get behind the wheel if you're sober."