Dozen drunk drivers pulled off local roads
Langley officers were busy at roadside drunk checks set up this past weekend
Operation Red Nose's mascot Rudy.
Photograph by: Langley Advance , files
The annual holiday crackdown on drunk driving continued over the weekend in Langley, with 12 drivers being hauled off the roads by the RCMP.
Six motorists were given three-day driving prohibitions, and six more were given 90-day immediate roadside prohibitions.
The first group will likely have to pay several hundred dollars in fines to get back on the roads, while the latter group will face thousands of dollars in penalties, and have also seen their cars impounded for 30 days, said Cpl. Holly Marks, spokesperson for the Langley RCMP.
The fines and loss of transportation may affect their abilities to get around, and will hit them in the pocket book just at the time that most people are doing their holiday shopping, Marks noted.
She reminded new drivers that they are not allowed to have any alcohol in their systems at all when behind the wheel.
"We want everyone to enjoy the holiday season with family and friends, so make sure you always have a plan for a safe ride home," Leanne Cassap, ICBC road safety coordinator, said in a statement. "If your holiday festivities will involve alcohol, arrange for a designated driver or use other safe options to get home safely. Remember to share the responsibility of being the designated driver this holiday season."
On average, seven people are killed every December around B.C. in drunk driving crashes.
While a number of people did choose to drink and get behind the wheel, a large number took safer transportation home.
There were exactly 200 calls to the Langley-Surrey Operation Red Nose line this weekend, and 392 drivers have used the service this year to get their persons and cars home safely. Operation Red Nose volunteers will drive you home in your own car with an escort car following to collect the volunteer driver.
The program is entirely free. Donations are gratefully accepted for Langley Gymnastics, but the first priority is getting people home safely, volunteers say.
The Langley-Surrey Operation Red Nose can be reached at 604-532-0888, and if elsewhere in the Lower Mainland, call 1-877-604-NOSE. Most jurisdictions in the Lower Mainland have a Red Nose project so users can get home from other cities.
