During the Christmas Holidays, RCMP on Prince Edward Island were kept busy ensuring safety on Island roads

Of the vehicles checked over the Christmas Holidays, between the period of the 21st of December 2009 and the 2nd of January 2010, 7 people were charged with driving over .08 and another three drivers were charged with refusing to provide a breath sample, for a total of 10 impaired driving related offences. During the same period of the 2008/2009 season, there were 8 people charged for impaired driving related offences.

The average blood/alcohol reading was 174 mgs%(0.174), which is over twice the legal limit.
The highest reading was 260 mgs%(0.260), which is more than three times the legal limit.

In addition, 7 checkstops were conducted across the Island including 3 check-stops conducted jointly by East Prince District, Kensington and Summerside Police Services. In these checkstops held in each jurisdiction on New Year's Night, 200 vehicles were checked and drivers charged for various offences including:
Driving while Disqualified - Criminal Code
Driving while suspended - Provincial
Fail to stop for Peace Officer - Provincial
Possession Radar detector - Provincial
Operate MV without insurance - Provincial
Liquor offences.

No fatalities were reported during this time period, however 4 serious motor vehicle collisions occurred on Island roads patrolled by the RCMP. Again this year, bad weather contributed to severe road conditions over the Christmas period.

The RCMP investigated 11 fatalities in 2009 where it was established that alcohol and speeding were common factors in 7 of those collisions. As such, the RCMP on Prince Edward Island will continue to monitor the driving public to ensure the safety of everyone on Island roads.

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