The Edmonton Police Service released its holiday checkstop results on Thursday. The data reveals a spike in the number of motorists arrested for being intoxicated behind the wheel.
Police said 59 drivers were charged with impaired driving over the holidays in 2018, a sharp increase from 42 in 2017.
More roadside suspensions were issued as well, jumping from 72 in 2017, to 90 last year.
Over 4,800 vehicles were stopped in December, compared to over 3,500 in 2017.
Throughout 2018, nearly 150 people were arrested and charged with impaired driving, a 17 per cent increase from 2017.
Edmonton police feel the spike in drunk driving cases reflects that more work needs to be done.
“It continues to illustrate that we still have a lot of work to do collectively as a society," said EPS Sergeant Rob Davis.
