Edmonton...Alberta police services will be out in force during December, setting up traditional Checkstops and conducting roving patrols to catch impaired drivers and to provide information about the consequences of drinking and driving to all motorists.

Checkstops are temporary inspection sites on streets and highways where vehicles can be stopped at random. They occur year-round, although during the holiday season, police agencies often set up more Checkstop sites. Locations change frequently and seldom operate in one area for more than a few hours. If police believe a driver is impaired, they can ask the driver to take a breath test.

On average, approximately 8,300 people are convicted of impaired driving in Alberta each year. In 2005, 105 people were killed and another 595 had a major injury in collisions where at least one driver had consumed alcohol.

Impaired driving is a Criminal Code offence that has serious consequences, including possible jail time, fine, licence suspension and a criminal record. First-time offenders face a one-year licence suspension upon conviction. Second-time offenders receive a three-year licence suspension, and third time offenders receive a five-year licence suspension. Drivers convicted of impaired driving causing injury or death receive a mandatory five-year licence suspension.

The Alberta Administrative Licence Suspension (AALS), introduced in 1999, provides that drivers charged with an alcohol-related offence will face an automatic suspension of their driving privileges. No conviction is necessary. AALS includes:

• immediate 24-hour licence suspension;
• automatic three-month licence suspension or disqualification for providing a breath or blood sample
  greater than .08 or refusing to provide a breath or blood sample;
• automatic six-month licence suspension or disqualification if the offence results in bodily harm or death; and,
• a 21-day temporary permit to allow the driver to set his or her affairs in order.

The Alberta government says the key to getting everyone home safely is advance planning. Appoint a designated driver, take a cab, use public transit, or call a community organization that will drive motorists and their vehicles home safely.

Albertans who suspect a motorist is driving while impaired can report the driver to local police by calling 911. For information about impaired driving or traffic safety, please contact the Traffic Safety Initiative at (780) 422-8839 or visit www.saferoads.com.

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