Police prevented a potential head-on collision after they noticed a vehicle travelling in the wrong lane on the Trans-Canada Highway earlier this week.
According to a Nanaimo RCMP press release, two Vancouver Island RCMP emergency response team officers saw a vehicle going north in the southbound lane on the highway, near Eaglequest golf centre, one kilometre south of the Trans-Canada Highway-Morden Road intersection, on Tuesday.
The officers were driving north when they saw tail lights of a vehicle driving parallel to them from across the median. They watched in horror as at least eight vehicles evaded a crash with the wayward driver, the press release said.
Sirens and emergency equipment were activated by the officers, which caught the attention of the driver after a short distance and she stopped her vehicle, said the press release. The officers then hopped over the median and began to wave traffic away from the vehicle.
After they had the driver park the vehicle on the right side of the highway, via a U-turn lane, officers suspected the woman, 34, was over the legal blood-alcohol limit. This was confirmed after a Nanaimo RCMP officer arrived and conducted a breath sample test, which the driver failed, according to the press release.
As the driver was in a “significant state of impairment,” she was held in custody overnight at the RCMP detachment in Nanaimo, said the press release
The vehicle was seized and impounded and the driver will be prohibited from driving for 90 days. In addition, she was issued a ticket for driving without due care.
Const. Gary O’Brien, Nanaimo RCMP spokesperson, lauded the officers for their work.
“This was tragedy waiting to happen and was only diverted by the decisive actions and quick thinking ERT members,” said O’Brien, in the press release.
Impaired driving is one of the leading causes of death and collisions, the press release said.
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