Impaired driving suspensions in the West Kootenay doubled in 2015

Police in the West Kootenay caught twice as many impaired drivers on the road in 2015 compared to 2014, causing concern that drivers are not being diligent enough about making transportation arrangements before drinking alcohol.

RCMP suspended 125 West Kootenay drivers in 2015 for impaired driving.

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The sudden increase in convictions and suspensions for impaired driving is not due to a change in police enforcement, according to Sergeant John Ferguson from the RCMP West Kootenay Traffic Services.

"We're doing the same job that we've been doing, our guys work very hard … their mandate of course is to protect the motoring public and make sure everybody gets to their destination safely."

Ferguson says officers will take a more preventative approach this year to try and make 2015's drunk driving numbers an anomaly and not the beginning of a trend.

"Our members are going to be more proactive and be more around drinking establishments or on the road where people are going to and from work."

There were four fatalities on West Kootenay roads in 2015 but Ferguson says "none of them were alcohol-related or seatbelt-related or drug [or] distracted driving related which are the three main causes in the province of British Columbia for fatals."

To listen to the full audio, click the link labelled: Impaired-driving numbers in West Kootenay doubled last year.