SGI has released statistics from their December campaign against impaired driving.

Of the 545 drivers found to have some sort of impairment, 183 ended up being charged with criminal code offences, and 362 people were given administrative suspensions.

Administrative suspensions are issued when someone is caught driving with a blood alcohol content (BAC) between .04 to .08 and/or they have drugs in their system. Whether it’s for alcohol or drugs, the consequences are essentially the same: a licence suspension (starting at three days; longer if it’s a repeat offence or a new driver), vehicle impoundment, demerits and the requirement to take a weekend impaired driver education course.  The penalties for Criminal Code impaired driving offences are even stricter, with fines and potential imprisonment, longer-term driving suspensions and vehicle impoundments, Ignition Interlock requirements, and significant financial penalties under the Safe Driver Recognition program.

241 administrative suspension were issued for people suspected of being on drugs. Police now have better gear for testing for people who may be impaired by drugs, or have drugs in their system so there are higher numbers of people who were found to be impaired by drugs.

Other results from the December Traffic Safety Spotlight:

• 3,803 tickets for speeding and aggressive driving offences;
• 234 tickets for people not wearing a seatbelt, or not using the proper car seat or booster; and
• 486 tickets for distracted driving, including 412 for using a cellphone.