Local news delivered daily to your email inbox. Subscribe for FREE to the rdnewsNOW newsletter.
Making Summer Safe

Alberta RCMP promotes safe, sober driving this summer

Jun 29, 2021 | 10:02 AM

With Canada Day approaching and many Albertans making plans to celebrate the national holiday, Alberta RCMP reminds motorists to practice safe, sober driving.

Mounties say impaired driving is always preventable and can always be avoided.

According to RCMP, in 2020, approximately 20 per cent of all fatal motor vehicle collisions in Alberta RCMP jurisdictions involved impaired driving. Officers removed 310 impaired drivers from roadways in July 2020 alone. Unfortunately, eight of these incidents resulted in bodily harm.

Police say Albertans can do their part to prevent impaired driving by practicing the following safety tips this Canada Day and all summer long:

  • Never get behind the wheel of a motor vehicle when impaired.
  • Arrange a sober ride to and from your destinations if you are planning on consuming drugs or alcohol.
  • Do not operate off-highway or recreational vehicles while impaired. It is illegal and dangerous.
  • Stand up against impaired driving and encourage others to practice smart driving behaviours.

“Driving impaired is dangerous and never worth the risk,” says Supt. Gary Graham, Alberta RCMP Traffic Services, in a press release. “Unfortunately, year after year, we continue to see motorists under the influence of drugs or alcohol compromising not only their own safety but the safety of others. This summer, we are asking that motorists plan ahead and take steps to ensure they are only getting behind the wheel when sober.”

For more traffic safety information, follow the Alberta RCMP on Facebook @RCMPinAlberta and Twitter @RCMPAlberta.