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Six imapired drivers caught in one night on the Peninsula

There are public transportation options available and police want to ensure that people have a safe and happy holiday season.
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Police are asking drivers to take alternate ways home if they have been out drinking.

• Six impaired drivers were taken off the roads of the Saanich Peninsula in one evening late last month.

On Nov. 26, Sidney North Saanich RCMP officers set up roving road checks in various locations throughout the Sidney and North Saanich area. By the end of the night, a half-dozen people were caught driving while drunk.

Three of those drivers received 90-day Immediate Roadside Driving Prohibitions after providing breath samples which showed a “Fail”, meaning their blood alcohol levels were in excess of the legal driving limit.

They also ended up with their vehicles impounded for 30 days, along with the associated towing and storage charges.

Two other drivers received three-day Immediate Roadside Driving Prohibitions along with three day vehicle impoundments and one driver ended up with a 24 hour Driving Prohibition.

The Sidney North Saanich RCMP would like to remind the public that as festive celebrations ramp up for the holiday season, people should arrange for safe rides home if they plan to be consuming liquor.

There are public transportation options available and police want to ensure that people have a safe and happy holiday season.

 

• During the late evening of Thursday, Nov. 24, Sidney North Saanich RCMP was conducting traffic enforcement on the Patricia Bay Highway near Amity Drive when a northbound vehicle approached at a speed substantially higher than the posted speed limit of 90 kilometers per hour.

The police officer activated his radar equipment and clocked the speed of the vehicle at 163 kilometers an hour.

A traffic stop was conducted and a driver from Victoria was served a violation ticket for excessive speed.

He also ended up having his vehicle impounded for seven days.

 

• On Nov. 25, during the early morning hours, police responded to a complaint of a single motor vehicle accident on the Patricia Bay Highway near Lands End Road.

Upon arrival at scene, a vehicle was found with severe damage but the driver was nowhere to be found.

The vehicle was initially reported stolen by a friend of the owner. The owner then called police the following day to state that his car had not been stolen but he had suffered from a medical issue which caused him to crash the car and he had no memory of the incident.

The owner denied drinking any alcohol prior to the collision.

Based on the circumstances, Sidney North Saanich RCMP will be following up with the Motor Vehicle Branch to seek a medical review of the owner’s drivers licence status.

 

• On the afternoon of Nov. 25, Sidney North Saanich RCMP stopped a vehicle for speeding on the Patricia Bay Highway near the ferry terminal.

The male driver was not a Canadian citizen. He claimed he was an international student at Camosun College but was unable to produce any student Identification card or any other proof to corroborate his story.

The male driver produced an International Drivers Licence that upon close inspection appeared to be a forgery. When the driver was questioned about the licence, he admitted that “a guy in Ontario” had made it for him.

The driver was issued a number of violation tickets and is now under investigation by Canadian Border Services Agency to verify his legal status in Canada.

 

• On the evening of Nov. 25, the RCMP responded to a complaint of a suspicious male wandering around inside the Victoria International Airport.

The male stated he was travelling to New York and became agitated when told there were no flights leaving from Victoria for New York.

Police officers quickly recognized that the male was suffering from mental health issues and spent considerable time speaking with him and calming him down.

Once the male was calmed down and reasonable, police officers provided him with a ride back to his home in Saanich.

 

— Sidney North, Saanich RCMP