Taking a taxi home after a night out having a few drinks and some fun with friends is supposed to be the right idea, so forgive me when I was a bit startled by a press release from Delta police that came into my inbox on Tuesday morning.
Police nabbed six suspected impaired drivers last Friday (Aug. 9) during a three-and-a-half-hour period.
During this enhanced road safety blitz, one of those drivers suspected of impaired driving was an off-duty cab driver who struck a parked car.
The officer who attended the scene suspected possible impaired driving and sure enough, the cabby provided breath samples that registered nearly four times the legal limit!
Not only was the driver issued a 90-day driving prohibition and a 24-hour driving ban, the taxi was impounded, and the driver is also facing criminal charges.
He should also be fired by the taxi company he was working for. This behaviour is reprehensible. Imagine if he had a fare in the car. The consequences could have been dire.
The other five drivers nabbed by police, many pulled over in their vehicles after attending neighbourhood pubs in both South Delta and North Delta, had various levels of impairment. Some refused to provide breath samples.
It is staggering to me that in this day and age, that we continue to talk about the dangers of drinking and driving.
Despite the efforts of Delta police and other municipal officers and RCMP officers across the province, people still chose to pick up their keys after having a few drinks and play Russian Roulette to get to their next destination.
Every week the Crime Beat, provided by DPD has impaired driving incidents profiled and now we have this little gem of a news release from our local police.
Are the laws not tough enough and people think, oh well, if I get caught, I’ll just pay the fine and move one? Or is it simply a case that people just don’t care enough about their safety and the safety of others?
