Edmonton police have shared the January numbers for their Curb the Danger program, and said dozens of impaired driving charges were laid, but several troubling cases were also uncovered.
On Wednesday, police said between Jan. 24 and Jan. 28, officers were called to seven incidents where an alleged impaired driver was found asleep at the wheel.
In one incident, officers were called to the area of 95A Street and 129B Avenue on Jan. 27 at about 7:14 a.m.
A citizen had reported a man was slumped over his steering wheel in the middle of the intersection, with the car still running – attempts had been made to wake the man up, but hadn’t worked, and a child was reportedly in the back seat.
The driver, a 39-year-old man, was charged with impaired operation of a motor vehicle, blowing over .08 BAC and driving while disqualified.
Between Jan. 1 and 31, 58 impaired driving charges were laid, along with eight license suspensions, and 104 letters sent to registered owners of vehicles, indicating their vehicle had been spotted driving erratically.
The charges, suspensions and letters were executed as part of the Curb the Danger program that allows citizens to report suspected impaired drivers to police.
Police said some of the signs of an impaired driver include erratic behaviour such as frequently changing lanes, or swerving when passing, driving too close to curbs and shoulders, hugging the edge of the road or straddling the centre line.
Anyone who sees a suspected impaired driver should call 911 immediately to report the incident – reporting the license plate along with the vehicle’s description, and noting the location.
