1 in 10 checked drivers were impaired during Canada Day crackdown on Vancouver Island: B.C. Highway Patrol

A RCMP Constable holds a breathalyzer test showing a driver's blood-alcohol reading of .04 during a roadside check. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Mounties on Vancouver Island say they pulled a "high number" of impaired drivers off highways over the Canada Day long weekend.

The B.C. Highway Patrol says it cracked down on impaired driving in the Lake Cowichan area as there was a music festival happening in the area as well as holiday festivities.

During the enforcement, the BCHP says it conducted 265 roadside breath tests. Of those, 26 drivers were impaired—24 by alcohol and two by drugs.

Police say impaired drivers were handed driving prohibitions ranging from three to 90 days depending on their blood-alcohol levels and some had their vehicles impounded.

"Impaired driving is one of the leading causes of deaths on our roadways, so finding nearly one out of every 10 drivers we tested over the weekend impaired is of great concern to me," said Staff Sgt. Adam Tallboy, officer in charge of the B.C. Highway Patrol's Vancouver Island section, in a news release Wednesday.

"Drivers who have consumed drugs or alcohol have a number of options to get home safely instead of getting behind the wheel of their vehicle and endangering all other road users."

According to ICBC, an average of 61 people are killed and 1,404 injured in crashes involving impaired drivers every year in B.C.