Too many people are still not getting the message, so Victoria police are stepping up their enforcement against impaired drivers this summer.
An average of 68 people a year are killed in B.C. as a result of impaired driving. Police data show that in the years from 2013 to 2017, almost half of fatalities happened in the summer months.
"We found impaired drivers at three roadblocks so far," said Victoria police spokesperson Const. Matt Rutherford. "We've had 15 allegedly impaired drivers come through… and the number is too high."
While much progress has been made to keep impaired drivers from getting behind the wheel, impaired driving is still one of the top three factors in fatal crashes in the province.
Throughout Canada, impaired driving is the leading cause of criminal deaths.
"People for whatever reason are still making that conscious decision to not plan ahead and sometimes those actions result in a fatality," said Rutherford. "It has to weigh heavy on somebody that took somebody's life and it is just so preventable."
Every year an average of 10 people are killed and 330 are injured in 550 impaired driving-related crashes on Vancouver Island.
Victoria police officers will be on Blanshard Street Thursday night to warn drivers that police are watching for impaired drivers.
"We continue to support enhanced enforcement programs like counterattack that identify and remove people from the wheel who put other road users in danger," said B.C. Attorney General David Eby. "Drivers should know that tough, immediate sanctions for alcohol and drug affected driving remain in place."
Police urge drivers to plan ahead if they'll be drinking or smoking marijuana.
"Plan ahead and don't drive impaired," said Rutherford.
