Lake Country RCMP officers were busy on Canada Day, removing five impaired drivers from the road within seven hours.
From 7:00 p.m. on July 1, 2022 to 2:00 a.m. on July 2, 2022, Lake Country RCMP officers conducted two CounterAttack roadchecks to target impaired drivers. Five drivers were issued 90-day driving suspensions and had their vehicles impounded for 30 days. This does not include the UTV fatality officers responded to a few hours later in which a 34-year old man was arrested for impaired operation causing death.
The Lake Country RCMP is reminding drivers there is no excuse for drinking and driving. Operating any motorized vehicle or vessel, while impaired by drugs or alcohol, is an offence under the Criminal Code and the Motor Vehicle Act. Whether driving a vehicle on a highway, operating a boat on a lake or driving an all-terrain vehicle on a trail, drivers should plan ahead before heading out to arrange a safe drive if their summer activities involve alcohol.
Cst. Owen Hazlewood, Traffic Services Officer for the Lake Country RCMP states, “being on highway and traffic patrol for as long as I have been, you go to too many fatalities and crashes that resulted from one decision, the decision to drink and drive, that could have easily been avoided”. “If drivers can’t make that decision for themselves, I’m happy to make it for them,” adds Hazlewood.
Lake Country RCMP officers will continue to conduct Summer CounterAttack roadside checks in an effort to target impaired drivers and keep our roads, lakes and trails safe.