The December Traffic Safety Focus was on Impaired Driving, and in the end, police reported 414 related offences.

Manager of Media Relations for SGI, Tyler McMurchy says of those, 240 people were charged and another 174 were issued sanctions, including license suspensions and vehicle impoundments, for exceeding the limits for alcohol or drugs. The alcohol limit is .04 BAC for experienced drivers and .00 BAC for new drivers, and zero tolerance for drugs for all drivers.

“This December what we have seen is, compared to previous Decembers if you’re comparing apples-to-apples, [there is a] higher number of total offences but the higher number is entirely due to a greater number of suspensions,” noted McMurchy. “The number of suspensions are much higher than in previous Decembers.”

“The number of Criminal Code charges remains about the same or even lower than we’ve seen in previous years,” he added.

While that’s bad news, McMurchy says the good news is that thousands of people made the right decision to seek alternative ways to return home, whether by designated driver or a taxi, or decided to stay at a relative or friend’s place rather than get behind the wheel.

“Whoever made a good choice I think we need to celebrate that as well,” McMurchy said.

Numbers from SGI also show 254 tickets for seatbelt offences were issued; over 29-hundred for speeding or aggressive driving; and 491 tickets for distracted driving – including 411 for using a cellphone, and 80 for driving without due care and attention.