Drivers in York Region failing to grasp dangers of drinking and driving

Sixteen drivers were charged over the weekend

Newstalk1010.com
Sept. 20, 2016
By Hayley Cooper

The number of drivers in York Region charged with impaired related offences this past weekend in is staggering.

Sixteen drivers between Friday and Sunday; 12 men and four women.

Cst. Andy Pattenden says five of the drivers were charged after police were called to a collision; Seven were spotted during R.I.D.E checks; Four were reported to 9-1-1 by other drivers.

"Of the 16 that were charged...eleven of them registered readings over twice the legal limit and four of them were more than three times the legal limit. It's extreme amount of alcohol being consumed.

"He says there is no pattern to help narrow down who is more likely to be driving drunk, but police are working on it. "We're seeing it in all walks of life. It can be young people, it can be old people. It can in the day, it can happen in the night."

York region is home to the horrifically tragic drunk driving crash that claimed the lives of all three of the Neville-Lake children and their grandfather almost one-year ago.

"Ever since that crash we've definitely increased our efforts out in the community, talking about it and the tragedy and dangers of impaired driving. You'd think after the amount of public attention that the case got and the tragedy that everyone was exposed to, you'd think that drinking and driving habits would change. We haven't seen that, at all.

"Pattenden say it was only three weekends ago that York Regional Police also charged another 16 drivers for impaired related offences.