Some disturbing trends are being observed by the RCMP’s North Okanagan Traffic Services (NOTS).
Officers conducted a Lazer speed enforcement operation on Wednesday, on Highway 97 by Crystal Waters, between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. The campaign focused on southbound traffic.
During that time period six vehicles were impounded for excessive speeding.
“The excessive speeds ranged from 46 to 56 kilometers over the speed limit,” said RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk. “One of these drivers was a Novice driver. “
During the enforcement operation they also had a drug seizure and one of the speeders caught doing 39 kms over the speed limit was a prohibited driver under the Motor Vehicle Act. The driver’s vehicle was impounded for seven days.
In total, 23 other tickets were handed out for speeding, including one to a driver of a commercial vehicle. One ticket was also issued for driving without a seatbelt.
“With these excessive speeding tickets issued Wednesday, it brings the total this unit has issued to just under three times the number they issued all of last year,” said Molendyk.
NOTS officers want to remind everyone to slow down for the weather and road conditions at this time of year, as both can change at any time.
The traffic unit would like to inform the public that the ICBC traffic initiative for November is “Speed Relative to Conditions.”
A second disturbing trend that the traffic unit has discovered is that they noticed a lot of empty beer cans in the Lumby area.
NOTS members launched a surprise two-night impaired driving blitz.
“The hours targeted might surprise some people,” said Molendyk. “The checks were between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. and resulted in five Immediate Roadside Prohibitions (IRPs).
All five IRPs were within two kilometres of J.W. Inglis Elementary School.
“What the officers found disturbing was one of the drivers had their 13-month-old child in the vehicle at the time,” said Molendyk. “Several drivers had open liquor in their vehicles.”
Officers also discovered firearm offences associated to hunting.
