2 Headingley RCMP vehicles struck during traffic stop
An 82-year-old man faces charges under the Highway Traffic Act
Two Headingley RCMP vehicles were hit during a traffic stop on Wednesday evening.
A statement from RCMP says two officers responded to an impaired driving complaint, they arrived to the scene separately, where they saw two vehicles stopped on the left-hand shoulder of the westbound lane of Highway 1, located just east of the community of Elie.
Officers say they parked behind the two already stopped vehicles.
They say shortly after placing the suspected impaired driver into a police SUV, a driver headed westbound on the highway collided with the passenger side of one police vehicle, causing a collision between both RCMP vehicles.
An officer and a 28-year-old driver, from Winnipeg, were both seated in the police SUV and were not injured.
Officers say after colliding with the police car, the vehicle rolled and came to a stop on it's roof. Officers immediately got the man out of his vehicle, they say he was wearing his seatbelt and was not injured.
The westbound vehicle was being driven by an 82-year-old male from Elie.
"Here is a perfect example of the dangers we face on a daily basis when we conduct traffic stops and why we stress the importance of drivers needing to slow down and move over," said Sgt. Paul Manaigre of the Manitoba RCMP in a statement.
"Thankfully, these officers and the members of the public walked away uninjured. This could have been so much worse. I can't stress enough how important it is for everyone to slow down and move over. This is law, and it is there for a reason," he said.
The 28-year-old male was charged with impaired driving by alcohol and the 82-year-old man faces charges under the Highway Traffic Act.
RCMP stated in the release the law requires anyone passing an emergency vehicle, including tow trucks, with lights activated to move to the furthest lane away, if safe to do so. Drivers are also required to slow down to 60 km/h if the posted limited is 80 km/h or higher and 40km/h if the posted speed limit is less than 80 km/h.