FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Friday, December 8, 2017 2:15 pm
Ottawa– The Ottawa Police Service and Safer Roads Ottawa teamed up last night for the first of three holiday MEGA-RIDE programs for the 2017 festive season. Traffic Services conducted checks on drivers at several locations throughout Ottawa last night. Along with doing checks for impaired driving by drugs or alcohol, Traffic Officers also utilized the Automatic Licence Plate Reader for traffic enforcement.
Results:
- 1,290 vehicles stopped
- 11 Provincial Offence Notices issued
- Six (6) Part III summons (three (3) suspended drivers, three (3) uninsured drivers)
- 16 tests for alcohol
- One (1) driver arrested for impaired driving
- One (1) Standardized Field Sobriety Test for drugs who passed
“We know that even one drink can reduce your reaction to something that happens suddenly in front of you when you’re driving,” said Sergeant Julie Mann. “We have been to fatal collisions that could have been easily avoided if the driver had just gotten a ride home with a sober driver. It’s devastating and 100% avoidable.”
Drivers should be reminded that although driving with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 is the impaired driving criminal offence, you can still lose your licence for three days if you are in the ‘warn range’ with a BAC between .04 and .08.
About Safer Roads Ottawa
The Safer Roads Ottawa Program is a leading community partnership between Ottawa Fire Services, Ottawa Paramedic Service, Ottawa Police Service, Ottawa Public Health and the
Transportation Services Department committed to preventing or eliminating road deaths and serious injuries for all people in the City of Ottawa, through culture change, community engagement, and development of a sustainable safe transportation environment.
Also participating in the Safer Roads Ottawa Program are the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), Sûreté du Québec, Department of National Defence’s Military Police and Gatineau Police Service to improve road safety for all residents of the national capital region.
Ottawa residents have identified traffic safety as a top priority. The Safer Roads Ottawa Program is committed to using available resources to make Ottawa roads safer for residents.
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For more information:
Ottawa Police Media Relations
613-236-1222 ext. 5366
Safer Roads Ottawa
Rob Wilkinson, 613-816-4266