In just the last few days, police in Abbotsford say they’ve seen a spike in impaired drivers and they’re urging people to find another way home, given the holidays are fast approaching.
“On Friday night alone, in a four-hour window between 8 p.m. and midnight, we saw and took off 11 impaired drivers. That’s a significant amount of impaired drivers,” explained Abbotsford Police Department Sgt. Paul Walker. “Ultimately, we need drivers to make good decisions and not poor decisions that impact road safety on our roadways.”
He clarifies being impaired doesn’t just mean being drunk, it can include drug use and fatigue.
Walker admits he’s frustrated that despite repeated public educational campaigns and increased fines and penalties, people continue to take the risk.
“Frontline officers, every day, go to accidents in our community that are devastating, that have life-changing consequences, and a lot of those involve impaired driving,” he shared.
“We never forget those images. The families that lose a loved one as a result of that behaviour never forget. It impacts people’s lives,” he added.
“I think the frustration comes because it’s so easy now to get a safe ride home by planning ahead, using those ride-hailing services, using a friend to pick you up. And people risk driving two blocks or three blocks from where they’re at, but those are where the consequences occur, the accidents occur, the loss of life occurs.”
Walker doesn’t believe the cost of getting home is a reason why people aren’t paying for taxis or ride shares.
“I think it’s the path of least resistance,” he said. “They choose and believe that they can drive from point A to B safely and get home because it’s two blocks away.”
“But I don’t think it’s the cost because when you look at arranging a safe ride home, the cost is nothing, but the cost of making a poor choice is impactful, financially, loss of life, not only for the family that loses a loved one but your life changes. That’s the cost — arriving alive.”
He stresses the responsibility of being safe behind the wheel falls to everyone and despite limited optimism that driver attitudes towards impaired driving will change, Walker is not holding his breath.
“We’re not seeing that change. Not finding an impaired driver when we’re actively searching for them would be a miracle and unfortunately, we’re not seeing that anywhere in the Lower Mainland.”
Walker says the APD, like all police departments, will be increasing patrols in the weeks leading up to the holidays as seasonal “Counter Attack” campaigns launch.
He’s pushing people to call 911 if they think they see an impaired driver.
“Sometimes the question we get is, ‘Can I use my phone while I’m driving?’ Well, if you believe that you’re following an impaired driver, you’re observing signs that you suspect this driver is putting lives at risk, that’s a 911 call.”
In the meantime, Operation Red Nose launches on Wednesday with rides available throughout December. The system operates on volunteers who will drive you and your car home if you’re impaired.