Sheriff Jason Graw of the Airdrie Integrated Traffic Unit (ITU) said he wishes people would get the message about drinking and driving, after the ITU charged three people with impaired driving over the Canada Day long weekend.
“I’m disheartened to see alcohol still out there,” said Graw. “People aren’t getting the message.”
The ITU patrols the area from the Calgary city limits north to Didsbury. Graw said two of the impaired drivers were stopped on June 27.
The first, a 30-year-old man who police say is from an unknown address, was intercepted by the ITU at 10 p.m. at a checkstop on Symons Valley Road at Big Hill Springs Road. Later that evening, a 35-year-old Carstairs man was pulled over in Crossfield at about midnight.
On June 28 at 11:30 p.m., the ITU pulled over a 23-year-old Airdrie man for going 138 km/hr in the 110 km/hr zone on Highway 2 near Airdrie. The man was also charged with impaired driving after he blew over .08.
All three had their licenses immediately suspended and will need to go to court to face criminal charges.
Another driver has been charged with speeding, after he was clocked doing 128 km/hr in a posted 60 km/hr zone on Bill Hill Road at 11:42 p.m. on June 28. The driver, a 25-year-old man from Airdrie, was driving a Ford Windstar. Officers also conducted a breathalizer test at the scene and determined the driver had a blood alcohol level of between .05 and .08. As a result, he received an immediate three-day suspension of his license and his vehicle was seized for three days.
A 23-year-old man from Fort McMurray was also charged with speeding after officers from the ITU recorded him going 167 km/hr on northbound Highway 2 just north of Airdrie at 11:10 a.m. on June 28. Speeding more than 50 km/hr over the posted limit means he must make a mandatory court appearance.
Statistics provided by Graw show that a total of 129 drivers were charged with speeding from June 27, through July 1.
The ITU ran two checkstops, both on June 27; one at Symons Valley Road and Highway 567, north of the rodeo grounds and the second on Highway 2 near Yankee Valley Blvd.
Graw said officers also stopped distracted drivers, people not wearing their seatbelts and impaired drivers over the weekend. Despite the number of tickets issued, Graw said RCMP is pleased officers saw no serious crashes or fatalities.
