183 drivers taken off Vancouver roads during summer CounterAttack program
Numbers are down from last year, but still too high, say police
The Vancouver Police Department says it removed 183 drivers from the roads between July 1 and August 3 as part of its summer CounterAttack program.
It's a decrease from last year's campaign, which ran from June 28 to August 5 and resulted in 360 impaired drivers being taken off the road.
Const. Tania Visintin says the numbers may be lower because restaurants and bars were only beginning to fully reopen, but they are still significant.
"It's disappointing that even with all of the education, awareness and enforcement, people are still getting behind the wheel while impaired," Visintin said in a release.
"Driving impaired by alcohol or drugs is extremely dangerous and puts the driver and other innocent road users at risk. The chances of getting caught are high and it is just not worth the consequences."
Visintin says 51 of the drivers were issued roadside suspensions, 122 were issued immediate roadside prohibitions and 10 now have Criminal Code charges recommended against them for impaired driving offences.
Impaired driving, she says, is one of the leading causes of traffic fatalities in B.C.