Langley Mounties pulled over and charged 65 impaired drivers over the Christmas and New Year holiday season in 2020.
The Langley RCMP Traffic Section, supplemented with extra officers in December, handed out criminal charges, roadside driving prohibitions, and hundreds of speeding tickets during the month, said Cpl. Holly Largy, spokesperson for the Langley detachment.
The charges and penalties included:
• 10 people charged with impaired driving under the Criminal Code. Of those, only two were found to be impaired by alcohol. Seven were impaired by drugs and one driver refused to provide a sample.
• There were 21 90-day immediate roadside prohibitions (IRPs) given out
• Two seven-day IRPs
• Nine three-day IRPs
• Eight 24-hour suspensions for alcohol
• One 12-hour suspension for a learner’s permit holder who had consumed alcohol
• 14 drivers who had been prohibited from driving or had suspended licenses were caught and charged
• Langley officers gave out 411 regular speeding tickets
• They handed out an additional 12 tickets for excessive speed – the drivers were 45 km/h or more above the posted speed limit
• 37 tickets were given for driving while using a cell phone
• Five vehicles were pulled off the road for being unsafe and sent for mechanical inspection
• Two drivers were charged with stunting
• There were 13 tickets under the Cannabis Control Licensing Act
• Six drivers found themselves investigated and charged with drug possession for the purpose of trafficking
• Beyond that, there were 269 other miscellaneous tickets issued.
“Impaired driving continues to be a concern, which is evidenced by the 65 impaired drivers charged over the month of December,” said Sgt. Matthew LaBelle, Langley RCMP’s Traffic Commander. “What’s equally concerning is the number of charges for impaired driving due to drug use.”
He said Langley Mounties will continue to target impaired drivers and encouraged the public to report impaired drivers.