Skip to content

Police to set up annual road checks

Police will set up set up their seasonal road checks beginning this weekend as they watch for tipsy motorists.
58032summerlandRCMPofficer
Cst. Jacques Lefebvre of the Summerland RCMP detachment says police will issue license suspensions and impound the vehicles of those driving while impaired.

Police will set up set up their seasonal road checks beginning this weekend as they watch for tipsy motorists.

The road checks will begin on Dec. 5 as part of a national Counter Attack campaign.

Cst. Jacques Lefebvre of the Summerland RCMP detachment said the penalties for impaired driving are significant.

Under the province’s Immediate Roadside Prohibition program, a motorist who blows a Warn level of .05 to .08 will receive a 24-hour suspension for the first offence. For subsequent offences, the penalties are three, seven or 30 days.

Those who blow a Fail, or a level higher than .08, will face a 90-day license suspension.

In addition, the vehicle is impounded for 30 days.

The impound is in place whether the vehicle belongs to the motorist or someone else.

In addition to the inconvenience of a license suspension, there are financial penalties.

Lefebvre said the cost of recovering a licence can be as high as $6,000.

A motorist recovering his or her license after a 90-day prohibition must take a driving course, pay for the cost and installation of an ignition interlock program and pay other penalties of up to $1,500.

 



John Arendt

About the Author: John Arendt

John Arendt has worked as a journalist for more than 30 years. He has a Bachelor of Applied Arts in Journalism degree from Ryerson Polytechnical Institute.
Read more