P.E.I. impaired driving on steep downward trend
Impaired driving charges by RCMP have fallen from 300 in 2011 to 161 in 2014
Figures released to CBC News by P.E.I. RCMP on Tuesday suggest a steep downward trend in impaired driving on P.E.I.
The decline was steepest from 2011-13, and levelled off in 2014, though the numbers were still down.
Charlottetown police also reported a significant drop in charges with 46 in 2014 and 60 the previous year. Charges by Summerside police were roughly even, with 35 in 2014 and 31 in 2013.
On mobile? See a chart of statistics here.
RCMP also released detailed information on charges in Queens County Tuesday, and they show a different pattern compared to numbers released in Kings County last week.
Queens County RCMP charged 60 drivers with impaired driving offences in 2014, 49 men and 11 women. The charges include people refusing a breathalyzer test and those impaired by drugs other than alcohol.
While the Queens County numbers were similar to Kings County in terms of male versus female, they showed a different age distribution.
The largest group of those charged were aged 21 to 30, with another bump in the 51 to 60 range. The Kings County numbers also showed bumps in those age groups, but with a larger group in the 51 to 60 range.
Kings County RCMP credited education programs aimed at youth for the lower numbers in that age range.
RCMP are planning a new education campaign aimed at older drivers starting in the spring.
On mobile? See a chart of statistics here.