Veteran officers are shocked after a big spike in the number of suspected impaired drivers caught in roadblocks this weekend, according to Vancouver police.
A total of 68 drivers had their licences taken away after roadside tests on Friday and Saturday, up from 44 on the same weekend last year. Const. Lindsey Houghton says that even officers with nearly three decades on the job were flabbergasted by the results.
“While our officers take comfort that they are taking an impaired driver off the road that may injure or kill someone, there is not one officer that doesn’t find this unacceptable or feel that this shows a complete disregard for the other road users,” Houghton said in a release.
“There are many great things to do in the summertime in Metro Vancouver, but when it comes to drinking and driving, just don’t do it.”
Police administered 416 breath tests during this weekend’s roadblock, meaning that about 16 per cent of those tested blew over the limit.
The results mark the second weekend in a row that Vancouver police have seen an increase in the number of suspected drunk drivers over last year’s statistics.
A week earlier, during the first three nights of summer roadblocks, officers issued 259 violation tickets and 28 people failed their roadside tests. During the same time period in 2011, 131 drivers received violation tickets and 13 people failed their breath tests.
