The BC Highway Patrol (BCHP) says at least 267 impaired drivers were pulled off B.C.’s highways in December — or approximately one driver every three hours through the entire month.
Mounties say their ‘Winter Impaired Driving Campaign’ is typically one of the busiest of the year, second to a summer campaign from June to August.
The numbers are likely even higher than the BCHP can report, with some jurisdictions patrolled by municipal police or RCMP traffic enforcements.
ICBC says 21 per cent of fatal crashes in the province involve impaired driving. On average, 63 people die in impaired-driving-related crashes on B.C. roads every year.
The BCHP says drivers in the South East Central region of the province (including Vernon, Kelowna, Kamloops, and Clearwater) were the worst offenders with 81 prohibitions in December alone.