Impaired-driving investigations on the West Shore over the first three months of this year are up 17 per cent over same period in 2023, police say.
West Shore RCMP took 53 suspected impaired drivers off the road from Jan. 1 through March 31.
Of those, 49 were charged with impaired driving under the Motor Vehicle Act, while impaired-driving charges were recommended against the other four under the Criminal Code.
In 2023, there were 45 impaired-driving charges from January to the end of March.
Police said 19 of this year’s impaired-driving cases were in March, including two that happened within a 24-hour period last week.
The first case began about 3:45 p.m. on March 27 with a report of a head-on, two-vehicle collision near the 4100-block of Sooke Road in Metchosin. A Chrysler 300 sedan crossed the centre line and collided with a Ford-150 pickup, with the force of the impact causing the Ford to flip onto its side.
Officers believed the driver of the Chrysler 300 was exhibiting symptoms of alcohol impairment and pursued an impaired-driving investigation. Police are awaiting blood-test results to determine the driver’s blood-alcohol level.
Both drivers suffered serious injuries and were transported to hospital, and Sooke Road was shut down for several hours.
The next incident began about 6:40 a.m. on March 28, when police received multiple calls about a Chevrolet Silverado pickup swerving in and out of traffic lanes.
The pickup was tracked down on Jacklin Road near Langford Parkway.
Police noticed what appeared to be signs of alcohol impairment in the 53-year-old driver and also located about 14 grams of marijuana within his reach.
He provided breath samples that indicated he was at about twice the legal blood-alcohol limit, police said.
An impaired-driving charge has been recommended against the driver, who received a 90-day driving prohibition, had his vehicle towed and was given a $230 violation ticket for possession of the marijuana.
“West Shore RCMP is committed to keeping our roadways safe,” said Cpl. Nancy Saggar. “We want to thank the numerous citizens who have called police to report suspected impaired drivers. Calling police right away increases our chances of locating and stopping suspected impaired drivers.”
