Grant Scott - Castanet Jul 16, 2011
When the new and tougher rules regarding drunk driving came into effect in September 2010, the hope was B.C.'s roadways would become safer. The toughest laws in Canada give police the ability to impound cars and hand out hefty fines to individuals whose blood-alcohol level was higher than .05 - lower than the .08 legal limit under the Criminal Code, After the first seven months, that hope has become reality in more ways than one. The Provincial government announced on Monday there were 30 impaired-related driving deaths in those seven months, compared to the five-year average over the same period of 61. Supt. Randy Kolibaba, the Officer in Charge of the RCMP South East District Traffic Services, says those numbers hold in his region as well, but by no means is that the only story.
When comparing numbers for the District, which includes the Okanagan, Thompson and Kootenay regions, and extends east to the Alberta border and south to the U.S. border, traffic fatalities are way down for the period between January 1 and June 30, 2011. "What I think is absolutely phenomenal, this time last year we had 47 fatal crashes, this year we had 34. That's overall fatalities. Alcohol-related crashes are down approximately 40 per cent. What that tells me is number one, the legislation is effective. Number two, the general public are changing their driving behaviours, and because of that, 13 more people were alive in the first six months of 2011. That's 13 more Moms, Dads, husbands, wives, brothers and sisters that were able to come home and enjoy the July long weekend." Kolibaba adds there is more to the enhanced enforcement than just stopping drunk driving. He says police are noticing an increase in impairment by drugs and the increased vigilance by his officers has led to the removal of millions of dollars worth of illegal drugs in just the last six months. "220 pounds of marijuana was seized off the highways, 8,237 marijuana plants were seized as a result of traffic checks, six kilos of cocaine, 38,053 hits of GHP (better known as the date rape drug), two kilos of magic mushrooms, almost $300,000 in drug money, and as a result of our seizures, we've seized two residences under civil forfeiture valued at almost $550,000," says Kolibaba. Throw in six hand guns also seized and an approximate value of $10 million in illegal drugs, the South East District traffic unit has done a remarkable job in helping to create safer roadways and communities. "It's a balanced enforcement strategy that's not only saving lives on the highway, but also helping to battle organized crime." For Kolibaba, however, it's the idea of saving lives that's most important to him and his officers. "From my perspective it's great. When the RCMP can partner with the business community and with the media, the end result is, that partnership is truly saving lives and making a difference. Thirteen more people are alive today because of what's happened."
When the new and tougher rules regarding drunk driving came into effect in September 2010, the hope was B.C.'s roadways would become safer. The toughest laws in Canada give police the ability to impound cars and hand out hefty fines to individuals whose blood-alcohol level was higher than .05 - lower than the .08 legal limit under the Criminal Code, After the first seven months, that hope has become reality in more ways than one. The Provincial government announced on Monday there were 30 impaired-related driving deaths in those seven months, compared to the five-year average over the same period of 61. Supt. Randy Kolibaba, the Officer in Charge of the RCMP South East District Traffic Services, says those numbers hold in his region as well, but by no means is that the only story.
When comparing numbers for the District, which includes the Okanagan, Thompson and Kootenay regions, and extends east to the Alberta border and south to the U.S. border, traffic fatalities are way down for the period between January 1 and June 30, 2011. "What I think is absolutely phenomenal, this time last year we had 47 fatal crashes, this year we had 34. That's overall fatalities. Alcohol-related crashes are down approximately 40 per cent. What that tells me is number one, the legislation is effective. Number two, the general public are changing their driving behaviours, and because of that, 13 more people were alive in the first six months of 2011. That's 13 more Moms, Dads, husbands, wives, brothers and sisters that were able to come home and enjoy the July long weekend." Kolibaba adds there is more to the enhanced enforcement than just stopping drunk driving. He says police are noticing an increase in impairment by drugs and the increased vigilance by his officers has led to the removal of millions of dollars worth of illegal drugs in just the last six months. "220 pounds of marijuana was seized off the highways, 8,237 marijuana plants were seized as a result of traffic checks, six kilos of cocaine, 38,053 hits of GHP (better known as the date rape drug), two kilos of magic mushrooms, almost $300,000 in drug money, and as a result of our seizures, we've seized two residences under civil forfeiture valued at almost $550,000," says Kolibaba. Throw in six hand guns also seized and an approximate value of $10 million in illegal drugs, the South East District traffic unit has done a remarkable job in helping to create safer roadways and communities. "It's a balanced enforcement strategy that's not only saving lives on the highway, but also helping to battle organized crime." For Kolibaba, however, it's the idea of saving lives that's most important to him and his officers. "From my perspective it's great. When the RCMP can partner with the business community and with the media, the end result is, that partnership is truly saving lives and making a difference. Thirteen more people are alive today because of what's happened."
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