By Morinville News Staff

Edmonton – The province released its long weekend traffic statistics Wednesday afternoon. Police stopped and ticketed 4,051 speeders between Aug. 31 and Sept. 3 on the province’s highways.

Speeders accounted for 78 per cent of the 5,209 tickets issued by RCMP, Sheriffs, Integrated Traffic Units and conservation officers over the weekend.

On the traffic side of enforcement, police issued 36 distracted driving tickets, 71 intersection-related tickets, 144 seat belt / child restraint tickets, and 59 hazard violations, including dangerous driving. There were 685 additional offenses, including driving without insurance and driving while suspended.

September 1 marked the start of harsher penalties for those with blood alcohol levels of .05 or greater, an offense that previously carried with it a 24-hour driving suspension.

The weekend saw 54 impaired charges for a driver in excess of .08 BAC. Additionally, 28 24-hour suspensions were issued as well as 11 other alcohol-related violations. Data on the new administrative penalties for those between .05 and .08 are not currently available. The province intends to issue those numbers within a few weeks.

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