‘Really frustrating’: Halifax police charged 43 drivers with impaired offences last month

Halifax police stopped and booked nearly two drivers a day every day last month.

Halifax Regional Police says 43 people were charged with offences related to impaired driving in February.

Of those 43 drivers, 22 were charged with impaired operation of a conveyance by alcohol, four were charged with impaired operation of a conveyance by a drug, and 17 were issued driving suspensions for operation of a vehicle while consuming alcohol.

“Unfortunately, impaired driving does occur on a regular basis, so we’re doing our best to combat that by conducting traffic points, traffic stops,” says Const. Martin Cromwell, public information officer for Halifax Regional Police.

According to police, seven drivers were twice the legal limit.

They also say five drivers refused to provide a breath sample, leading to them being charged with an offence of refusal.

“It’s really frustrating to see that so many people are still making that choice to drive impaired, especially in a place like Halifax that has options for people,” Steve Sullivan, CEO for MADD Canada, told CTV News on Wednesday.

“There is public transportation, there are ridesharing, there are taxis, all those things that people could choose that would get everybody home safely.”

Sullivan says he believes people underestimate what it takes to get to a criminal level for impaired driving.

“It’s not one drink with dinner kind of thing, it’s a lot and to be twice the legal limit, that’s a lot of alcohol for someone to drink,” says Sullivan. “The challenge is, the more you have, the less able you are to adequately judge your impairment.”

Police are crediting the public for their role in reporting these incidents. They received 16 calls from people who suspected a driver may have been impaired last month.

“Thank you to all those people who made that call to police, and I really encourage people (to) because it is a crime in progress and you are potentially saving someone’s life,” says Sullivan.

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