by Morinville News Staff
Alberta’s Integrated Traffic Units, consisting of RCMP Traffic Services members and Alberta Traffic Sheriffs, focused their weekend efforts on reducing impaired driving, distracted driving, speeding and getting people to buckle up.
Between Friday, May 16 and Monday, May 19 integrated traffic officers laid more than 4500 charges across the province. The majority of those (4369) were speeding violations, an increase of 409 tickets (10%) over those issued in the same period in 2014.
Police say one driver was ticketed twice for speeding more than 30 kilometres per hour over the posted limited – once near Airdrie, and later in the day near Strathmore.
Drinking drivers were also removed in increased numbers over the previous year. Police removed 56 drivers who had been drinking, compared to 35 in 2014.
A three-day license suspension was issued to the driver of a golf cart for operating a vehicle on a roadway while in excess of the provincial blood alcohol limit of 50mg%. The driver was issued a three-day Immediate Roadside Suspension and had the golf cart seized for three days.
Similar numbers of seatbelt violations were issued this year to the previous one. Police issued 160 tickets related to seatbelts and child safety seats, slightly less than the 167 issued in 2014 over the long weekend.
But while impaired drivers were up and seatbelt violations were the same, distracted driving tickets were down. Police issued 39 tickets over the weekend, down from the 60 issued in 2014 and 68 issued in 2013.
The ticket for distracted driving recently was raised from $175 to $288.
