On March 9, 2014, a concerned motorist took the right steps and called police to report a possible impaired driver in the area of Whitemud Drive and 178 Street around 1:30 p.m. It was reported that the vehicle had just avoided hitting a curb and narrowly missed striking five vehicles while straddling two traffic lanes. A police vehicle was dispatched and intercepted the vehicle in the area of 34 Avenue and 48 Street.
Police found the 43-year-old male driver exhibiting signs of impairment. A passenger in the front seat of the vehicle was a 7-year-old boy. When the driver stepped out from the vehicle, he failed to place the vehicle into park and it started moving forward but was stopped a short distance later.
A partially consumed bottle of liquor was recovered in the vehicle. The driver of the vehicle was charged with impaired driving after providing blood alcohol readings over three times over the legal limit of 80mg%.
For the month of March 2014, there were 766 calls from the public to report suspected impaired drivers, which resulted in 248 intercepts, 57 impaired charges, 26 24-hour suspensions, and 53 letters sent to the registered vehicle owners because police could not intercept the vehicle.
So far in 2014, there have been a total of 1,969 calls into Curb the Danger, 611 intercepts, 168 impaired charges, 74 24-hour suspensions, and 158 letters sent to the registered vehicle owners.
Since its inception in October 2006, there have been a total of 63,894 calls into Curb the Danger, 21,637 intercepts, 6,093 impaired charges, 1,935 24-hour suspensions, and 9,748 letters sent to the registered vehicle owners.
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.