With the long weekend fast approaching and party vibes rolling out across the province with festivals like Youbou's sizzling hot Sunfest, the BC Highway patrol will be amping up roadblocks with a focus on impaired driving enforcement in an effort to eliminate fatalities on BC highways.
Sunfest is just one of several festivals taking place across the province that may entice attendees to want to throw back a few this long weekend, but if that is the plan then festival goers will want to plan ahead.
BC Highway Patrol has been conducting an extensive number of road blocks to target impaired drivers, and for the long weekend will continue to demonstrate zero tolerance towards any impaired drivers, they said in a press release, especially those attending larger events like at Laketown Ranch where camping is an option.
Attendees that aren't planning to set up camp, but choose to consume liquor or drugs, are asked to arrange for a safe ride whether that be festival shuttles, taxis, ride-shares, transit, or rides with designated drivers. Choose to be smart, and remember when you drive impaired it is not just your own life that your are putting in jeopardy, the release said.
In order to reduce traffic fatalities, BC Highway Patrol is asking you to report high-risk drivers to your local police,
said BC Highway Patrol media relations officer Corporal Melissa Jongema in a press release. Examples of high-risk driving include: impaired drivers, fatigued drivers, vehicles passing on a double solid line and/or around curves, vehicles failing to maintain their lane, excessive speeders, and drivers who nearly cause a collision. Let’s work to keep our highways safer together.
Increased patrols in the Cowichan Lake area on the Canada Day long weekend nabbed 26 impaired drivers, nearly one out of every 10 drivers tested.
