A series of recent crashes linked to impaired driving have prompted Langley RCMP to warn people about drinking and getting behind the wheel.
A car collided with a parked vehicle in the 21900 block of 48th Avenue just after noon on March 17, said Cpl. Holly Largy, spokesperson for the Langley RCMP.
The St. Patrick’s Day crash caused relatively minor damage to both vehicles, and no one was hurt, Largy said. But police arrested the 45-year-old woman who had been driving.
Her breath sample showed her to be four times above the legal blood alcohol limit.
Just a month before on Feb. 19, another woman drove her vehicle off the road and into the ditch in the 22400 block of 16th Avenue. She struck a telephone pole, but managed to drive back out and continue west two blocks further, before again driving into the ditch again.
Her breath sample was also almost four times the legal limit, and the crashes again took place at about 12:30 p.m.
“Over the last four months, Langley RCMP has seen a significant increase in all areas of impaired driving – from 24 hour prohibitions to 90 day Immediate Roadside Prohibitions all the way through to Criminal Code charges,” said Largy.
In March, 52 drivers were investigated for impaired driving offences of one sort or another, ranging from young drivers to the elderly.
“Langley RCMP will continue to aggressively pursue impaired drivers and we ask the community to take this as seriously as we do,” Largy said.
She urged the public to call in and report to the police if they see a driver they feel may be impaired.
For drivers who have been drinking, finding an alternative means of getting home, whether by cab, bus, or a designated driver, is imperative to keeping the roads safe, she said.