He must have been very, very drunk.
The man behind the wheel of a vehicle which other motorists noticed was being driven erratically had a “distant, vacant” stare when a police officer banged on the window of his car.
Even with the windows closed, the officer noticed the smell of alcohol coming from the man’s vehicle which the officer had noted was lurching as the driver put his foot and off the brakes.
“The officer yelled and banged on the window in an attempt to get the attention of the driver,” said Cpl. Holly Marks, who speaks for Langley RCMP.
“However, when the driver looked at the officer, he appeared to have a distant, vacant stare and did not acknowledge the officer’s presence.”
Running around the vehicle, the officer tried all four doors but found they were all locked.
Marks said that the vehicle was on Glover Road, near 64 Avenue at about 2 p.m. on June 19. Alerted by dispatch, a Langley RCMP traffic officer spotted the vehicle going south on Glover. The vehicle was slightly off the road in a construction zone, and was lurching forward.
The officer ran to the vehicle fearing that the driver might be in medical distress, Marks said.
When the driver appeared to be trying to move back into traffic, there was great concern because construction workers, flaggers and bystanders were in the area, she said.
The officer broke the rear window on the driver’s side, reached in and unlocked the door so he could turn off the ignition.
Police launched an impaired driving investigation, took a 62-year-old Surrey man back to the Langley detachment where he his breathalyzer reading registered three times the legal limit. Police plan to recommend charges to Crown Counsel, Marks said.
Shortly after 3 p.m. the next day, Langley Traffic came across another impaired driver who blew over the legal limit.
“While all impaired driving is cause for grave concern, in both these instances the drivers were impaired in the early afternoon,” Marks said.
She urged people to “please drive carefully, always (be) cognizant of your fellow motorists.”
Police are requesting the Langley community to continue their vigilance against impaired driving by calling police if they see a driver they believe is impaired.
