Kelowna RCMP removed 29 impaired drivers from the road last weekend.
In addition to impaired drivers, officers stopped multiple new drivers (class 7N) with too many passengers, motorists with more passengers than seatbelts and vehicles containing open liquor.
“Additionally, specially trained drug recognition experts with the Kelowna RCMP Municipal Traffic Section were kept busy conducting three drug influence evaluations throughout the evening,” said Const. Brad Smith of the Kelowna RCMP, also noting a rise in the number of drug-impaired driving cases in the region.
Since the beginning of the year, drug recognition experts have conducted 25 such evaluations on drivers believed to be operating under the influence of an intoxicating substance. Up to this point in 2019, that number was lower, at 17.
“This is something we are monitoring very closely in the community, as we tailor our future enforcement actions, as any increase is a cause for concern,” said Sgt. Mark Booth of the Kelowna RCMP Municipal Traffic Section. “Being impaired by drugs and driving is just as dangerous as being impaired by alcohol. You will face the same penalties under the law.”
Between May 22 and May 24, local police issued:
- 3-day Immediate Roadside Prohibitions (IRP): 8
- 90-day Immediate Roadside Prohibitions (IRP): 14
- 24-hour prohibition by alcohol: 1
- 24-hour prohibition by drug: 6
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