West Shore RCMP screened approximately 400 drivers for impairment in three traffic stops on Friday evening and laid no charges.
“We’re happy to report actually that everyone was compliant. We didn’t have anyone on Friday night charged with impaired driving and that’s pretty significant” she added.
The West Shore RCMP’s sober driving initiative was part of national impaired driving awareness week.
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Drivers the police suspected had alcohol to drink or were influenced by drugs were stopped for a “full impaired investigation,” said Const. Nancy Saggar.
“We are not just looking for people who are drinking and driving, but we’re also looking for people who are drugging and driving, and on top of that getting vehicles off the road that are simply not safe to be on the road,” she said.
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The first traffic stop lasted from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on Veterans Memorial Parkway between Sooke Road and Latoria Road, the second on Ocean Boulevard at Fort Rodd Hill between 10 p.m. and 11 p.m., followed by another on Sooke Road at Luxton Fairgrounds until midnight.
One stop led to a cube truck being taken off the road for being too dangerous to drive.
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“We had him pull over and the entire dashboard was missing, all the wiring was exposed. The exhaust motor was also exposed, so the exhaust was actually filtering into the vehicle, which is very dangerous because you could actually poison yourself and fall asleep while driving,” Saggar said.
As the driver slowed to a stop, a faulty air suspension system dropped the entire vehicle “just inches” away from the ground, she added.
“We’re lucky that he came to our checkstop.”
swikar.oli@goldstreamgazette.com
