With more holiday parties scheduled this month, police encourage the public to plan ahead to ensure everyone arrives at their destination safely.
“Before going out, make sure you assign a designated driver, plan to take public transit or a taxi to ensure you get home safely,” says Staff Sgt. Ted Hrebien. “Citizens are also making their safety a priority by calling 911 to Curb the Danger when they suspect an impaired driver on our city streets.”
For the month of November 2013, there were 636 calls from the public to report suspected impaired drivers, which resulted in 202 intercepts, 57 impaired charges, 11 24-hour suspensions, and 53 letters sent to the registered vehicle owners because police could not intercept the vehicle.
So far in 2013, there have been a total of 7,804 calls into Curb the Danger, 2,611 intercepts, 700 impaired charges, 182 24-hour suspensions, and 816 letters sent to the registered vehicle owners.
Since it’s inception in 2006, Curb the Danger has received 61,288 calls from the public, sent 9,551 letters to vehicle owners, successfully intercepted 20,464 vehicles, arrested 5,857 impaired drivers and suspended 1,844 of them.
The EPS provides updated Curb the Danger numbers each month.
Signs that could indicate an impaired driver:
- unreasonably fast or slow speeds or inconsistent speeds;
- frequent lane changes or swerving when passing;
- ignoring traffic signals and signs;
- approaching traffic signals and signs unreasonably fast or slow;
- sitting at stop signs for long periods of time;
- jerky starts and stops;
- driving too close to the curbs and shoulders; hugging the edge of the road or straddling the center line;
- driving at night without lights; or,
- driving with the windows down in cold weather.
If you see a suspected impaired driver:
- Call 9-1-1 and report the incident immediately. Under Bill 16 of the Distracted Driving legislation, drivers are permitted to use hand-held devices to contact 9-1-1 emergency services.
- Take note of the location;
- Report the license plate number as well as the vehicle description; and
- If possible, keep the vehicle in sight, but do not attempt to chase the vehicle or break the law in order to stay close.
If a patrol car is not able to intercept the vehicle, the EPS may send a letter to the registered owner telling them that their vehicle was spotted being operated erratically.
For more information, visit www.edmontonpolice.ca/curbthedanger.