A pair of Lower Mainland traffic cops are taking a coffee break with the community.
On Thursday, Nov. 1, RCMP Sgt. Lorne Lecker and Sgt. Roland Pierschke will be at the McDonald’s restaurant at 20037 84 Ave., from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. for the Coffee with a Traffic Cop event.
As they sip coffee, Sgt. Lecker and Sgt. Pierschke will be available to answer drivers’ questions regarding traffic rules, regulations and policies.
“This is an opportunity for us to get together with the public in a completely informal setting over a cup of coffee and give them the opportunity to ask us any questions they have about traffic enforcement, traffic collision investigation, impaired driving, anything that might be on their mind that they would want to ask a traffic cop,” said Sgt. Lecker.
The officers expect to get questions about driving under the influence, since changes will be made to provincial and Criminal Code enforcement now that marijuana is legalized.
“Everything is going to come in stages and right now it’s stage one. Criminal laws aren’t changing until later in the year so we still have a lot of unknowns about how things are going to work out,” said Sgt. Pierschke.
Sgt. Lecker referred to impaired driving as a ‘vicious circle.’
“When you get impaired, the first thing that is affected is the ability to make that self-judgment about how impaired you are. So it’s a vicious circle. The safest thing to do is not to use alcohol, not to use cannabis or other illegal substances when you drive.”
Another hot topic the cops predict will come up in conversation is the difference between laws in Canada and the United States. Sgt. Lecker said American television often leads people to assume the same rules exist in Canada.
“In Canada, we have the authority to stop any vehicle at any time. In the United States, you do need a specific reason to stop a car,” said Sgt. Lecker.
And if someone asks a question for which they don’t have an answer on the spot, they promise to find one.
“Come on up, say hello, and ask us any questions,” said Lecker.