Thunder Bay – The results are in regarding impaired drivers charged by the Thunder Bay Police Service in the first half of 2018, and the numbers are not encouraging.
Officers with the Thunder Bay Police Service charged 75 people between January 1 and June 30 with impaired and/or “over 80” operation of a motor vehicle. This figure has ballooned to 93 people when the July numbers are included as well. The number of people charged thus far is in line with the past few years, where a significant increase in impaired driving has been detected. The police have begun this year to analyze the data with greater scrutiny in hopes that more effective targeting of problem areas will reduce impaired driving. Some of the key figures are as follows:
– 77% of individuals charged were male
– the average age of a charged person is 37 years old
– the youngest person charged was 16 years old; the oldest was 77
– the highest blood alcohol concentration recorded was 397 milligrams of alcohol per 100 milliliters of blood; the lowest was 46mg/100mL
– 4 individuals have been charged while their ability to operate a motor vehicle was impaired by drug(s)
– March had the fewest number of people charged with 10; July has the most with 18 so far
– 13 people were charged for driving impaired between 2:00 am and 3:00 am
– over half of all incidents took place on the weekend
– there has been at least one person charged during every hour of the day
With the coming legalization of cannabis, there is the expectation that drug-impaired driving will increase in Thunder Bay. With better drug-detection training for officers and more awareness of geographic and demographic patterns, the police are hopeful that they will be able to reduce the incidence of impaired driving in the second half of 2018. At the very least, they will ensure that those caught driving while impaired are charged and brought before the courts.
