LAKELAND - May 14-20 is Canada Road Safety Week and Alberta RCMP, along with the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police, are promoting safe driving behaviours, along with doing targeted enforcement on National Impaired Driving Enforcement day.
"The annual campaigns aim to reduce roadway collisions, injuries, and deaths by promoting public compliance with safe driving measures, especially during the Victoria Day long weekend," according to information from RCMP.
This year, RCMP "will be focusing enforcement efforts on behaviours that present serious risk to drivers, passengers, and pedestrians." These behaviours include impaired driving, fatigue, distracted driving, aggressive driving, and driving without a seatbelt.
RCMP remind motorists to arrange sober transportation if they consume drugs or alcohol.
“In 2023, the Alberta RCMP removed 7,707 impaired drivers from provincial roadways, an average of 21 impaired drivers per day,” says Sgt. Darrin Turnbull, Alberta RCMP Traffic Services. “During last year’s Canada Road Safety Week alone, RCMP officers removed 205 impaired motorists from Alberta’s streets and highways.”
It's also important to get enough sleep before getting behind the wheel, or "find a safe place to pull over for a rest" if you are tired.
"If you are becoming agitated with another driver, or encounter another motorist driving aggressively, safely pull over and contact the police," recommends RCMP.
And of course, always buckle up.
