By MorinvilleNews.com Staff
Edmonton – Alberta Sheriffs and RCMP integrated traffic units kept a watchful eye on the province’s highways over the Canada Day long weekend, issuing 2,193 speeding tickets between June 30 and July 3. A slightly longer monitoring period between June 30 and July 4 in 2010 netted 2,574 speeders.
In total, 2,767 unsafe drivers were nabbed by police over this past holiday weekend. In addition to the speeders, police issued 39 hazardous driving charges, including careless driving and stunting. Additionally, 25 tickets were issued for failing to obey stop signs, 113 seat belt and child restraint tickets were issued, and there were 320 violations for having no insurance or driving while suspended.
Alcohol consumption was once again a holiday weekend problem. Police issued 17 impaired driving charges as well as 17 24-hour suspensions. An additional 43 alcohol-related charges were issued. Despite the shorter monitoring period, impaired charges were up slightly from the 15 issued over the same holiday weekend last year; however, 24-hour suspensions were down from the two dozen issued in 2010.
Fatalities were also down this year. The last time Canada Day fell on a Friday was 2005. In that year eight people were killed on Alberta highways. RCMP report two deaths across the province this holiday weekend.
