Many drivers enjoying concerts in Lake Cowichan were left saying this is how you remind me… not to drink and drive.
B.C. Highway Patrol said they issued 277 mandatory alcohol screenings (MAS) in Lake Cowichan during the Sunfest and Nickelback concert weekends.
Officer in charge of Vancouver Island B.C. Highway Patrol Insp. Adam Tallboy said MAS helps move the check stops they established more quickly.
“MAS is an incredibly useful tool for keeping roads safe, and we appreciate the patience of all the law-abiding drivers who gave them.”
During the August long weekend, patrols for Sunfest issued 220 roadside breath demands, 158 of them being MAS’s.
Those tests led to six 90-day immediate roadside prohibitions (IRP), three three-day IRPs, two 24-hour driving prohibitions, and 172 violation tickets.
The checks continued the next weekend on August 9 for the Nickelback concert which saw 142 roadside breath demands, 119 of them being MAS’s.
Those checks led to 13 90-day IRPs, four three-day IRPs, one 24-hour driving prohibition, and 54 violation tickets.
Tallboy added the checks were to ensure all concert enjoyers got home safely.
“We empathize that no one wants to be slowed down by a check stop, but this is how we remind you that none of our officers is trying to be a rockstar, it’s simply our job to deliver immediate consequences for driving while impaired.”
