SGI has released its numbers from their August Traffic Safety Spotlight which focused on impaired driving.
Police across the province reported 463 impaired driving offences last month. 379 drivers were charged under the Criminal Code for impaired driving offences resulting in licence suspensions, vehicle seizures and fines. 84 drivers were issued roadside administrative suspensions for exceeding the legal limit of .04 Blood Alcohol Content or violating zero tolerance for drugs or alcohol.
However SGI spokesperson Tyler McMurchy noted that another area made headlines. For the first time since July 2017, the number of seat restraint infractions exceeded those for distracted driving at 576 to 556.
“Both of those numbers are unacceptably high,” admitted McMurchy during a phone interview. “When you’re talking about seatbelts, it’s really difficult for me to believe that we’re still able to find 500 plus seatbelt offences every month.”
SGI also reported 7,851 tickets were handed out for speeding and aggressive driving last month. McMurchy added that it’s not the highest number they’ve seen.
“We obviously know police are very focused on traffic safety and speeding is one of the big four,” he explained. “It is probably the most common offence that people commit. So we encourage people to slow down.”
(With files from CJGX and Moises Canales)
