WESTLOCK – Impaired, distracted and aggressive driving, cited as the main causes of death and injury on Canadian roadways, will be front and centre for law enforcement Oct. 7-10 during Operation Impact.
While the annual campaign is being promoted by the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police, Alberta RCMP Traffic-Westlock Sgt. Leigh Drinkwater said they will be taking part during the Thanksgiving-weekend blitz — his unit patrols the highways in and around Westlock, Barrhead, Wabasca and Slave Lake.
Ultimately the campaign is asking Canadians to put their best foot forward and “put the brakes on driving behaviours” like impaired driving due to alcohol, drugs and fatigue, aggressive driving and distracted driving which all “put drivers, passengers and other road users at risk.” Also, during the blitz, police will be making sure drivers are properly using their seatbelts and child car seats.
“In addition to education, it’s about correcting their behaviour and the one way to do that is by laying the charges and coupled with those charges are the demerit points and fines. It does get expensive, especially when we’re talking about someone’s employment, if they drive for a living, or their insurance bill which can become quite high if they’re convicted of impaired or distracted driving,” said Drinkwater.
“All of these things are preventable. If people drink, they shouldn’t drive. The same goes for distracted driving — drivers make the choice to pick up their phone and send a text or an e-mail while they’re behind the wheel. Aggressive driving, speeding, running red lights, disobeying traffic control devices … those are all active choices made by a driver, despite all the information that’s out there. It’s all about making the right choice.”
This past week, Alberta RCMP noted a 40-year-old man was sentenced for his 13th distracted driving conviction in Airdrie and received a $2,000 fine, plus a $300 victim surcharge and three demerit points. Since distracted driving became illegal in Alberta Sept. 1, 2011, the man has paid $5,371 in fines.
The release goes on to note that research has shown driver distraction is the primary cause of over 20 per cent of all crashes, and that distracted drivers are three times more likely to be involved in a collision than attentive drivers. For context, a two-second glance at your phone while travelling at 100 km/h will have seen you travel close to 56 metres, roughly 184 feet.
The release goes on to note that Alberta’s distracted driving law applies to all vehicles as defined by the Traffic Safety Act and restricts drivers, even while stopped in traffic or at red lights, from using hand-held mobile devices, electronic devices such as laptop computers and portable audio players, entering information on GPS units, reading printed materials or even putting on makeup or shaving.
“Even the idea of having a dog in a person’s lap — there are specific charges in the TSA about having an animal in your lap that obstructs your ability to operate your vehicle safely,” Drinkwater added. “Again, it’s about the choices that drivers make. All of these things are preventable.”
