Officers from Alberta’s Integrated Traffic Units (ITUs) were out in full force over the holiday long weekend May 16 to May 19, looking for motorists breaking the rules of the road, according to Sergeant Darrin Turnbull of RCMP K Division Traffic Services.
“Our efforts coincided with the Victoria Day long weekend and Canada Road Safety Week, and also Saturday (May 17) was National Impaired Driving Enforcement Day,” Turnbull said. “It was really a concentrated and planned effort to remind motorists that we’re out there and we’re watching. We’re doing what we can to keep the highways safe.”
The ITU officers focused on four main priorities, according to Turnbull. These are impaired driving, use of seatbelts and occupant restraints, speeding and aggressive driving, and distracted driving.
“We’re not done. There’s more planned and on top of that, there are the regular scheduled patrols that are out there all year round,” he said. “Please drive sober, put on your seatbelts, don’t speed and don’t allow yourself to be distracted while driving.”
Between May 16 and May 19, officers laid more than 4,500 charges across the province, including 56 charges for impaired driving, 4,369 speeding charges, 39 charges for distracted driving and 160 charges of failing to use a seatbelt or child safety seat.
One driver was unlucky to be caught twice in one day. He was first stopped near Airdrie driving 30 kilometres (kms) over the posted speed limit and later stopped near Strathmore, again speeding at approximately 30 kms over the limit.
“When you look at the number of vehicles that drive on Highway 2 near Airdrie, you’re looking at 90,000 to 95,000 a day, so the chances of getting stopped once is slim,” Turnbull said. “To get stopped twice is crazy.
“People know the dangers of driving while impaired, or texting behind the wheel,” he added. “They also know speeding increases the risk of a fatal collision and that seatbelts and child safety seats save lives. What they don’t seem to get, is that they could get caught, or worse, that a crash could happen to them.”
