Local police and the RCMP are conducting roadside safety checks throughout the province this week as part of National Safe Driving Week, Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal Minister Robert Vessey said.

“Our department’s Highway Safety Division is joining police agencies in looking particularly for drivers who choose to get behind the wheel while under the influence of alcohol or drugs,” Minister Vessey said. “Please make driving safer for everyone by ensuring that both you, and your vehicle, are operating according to the rules of the road.”

Law enforcement also will be checking for vehicle safety violations such as expired driver licences and vehicle registrations and inspections, tinting on the windshield and front windows of vehicles, and anything that may be covering vehicle licence plates. Plastic licence plate covers – whether tinted or clear, can reflect headlights and make it difficult for police to read the plate.

Remaining checkpoints will be in the following areas:

• Tuesday, December 3 – West Prince, with RCMP;

• Wednesday, December 4 – Charlottetown area, with Charlottetown Police;

• Thursday, December 5 – Souris and Montague areas, with RCMP; and

• Friday, December 6 – Charlottetown, with RCMP.

The Canada Safety Council made “drugs and driving” the theme of this year’s National Safe Driving Week December 1-7. Drug-impaired driving has become more prevalent in Canada in the last 10 years; the safety council reports that more than one-third of fatally injured drivers tested positive for impairing drugs in 2009.

“It’s not only illegal drugs that can impair your driving, but prescription and over-the-counter drugs can as well,” Minister Vessey said. “As this is the time of year for holiday parties, please enjoy responsibly and never drive under the influence of drugs or alcohol – you could lose your licence, your vehicle, your freedom, or your life.”

Government enacted legislation earlier this year requiring mandatory roadside driver-licence suspensions for drug-impaired drivers who refuse or fail the physical coordination test. This is in addition to other possible penalties that come with impaired driving such as longer licence suspensions, vehicle impoundment, ignition interlock, or jail time.

For complete information on operating a vehicle in Prince Edward Island – including the Driver’s Handbook and Rules of the Road, visit www.gov.pe.ca/highwaysafety or your local Access PEI location. For more information on National Safe Driving Week, visit the Canada Safety Council at canadasafetycouncil.org/campaigns/safe_driving.

Backgrounder

How you can stop drugged driving before it happens (from the Canada Safety Council):

• Be responsible. Never drive when impaired.

• Do not combine drugs and alcohol.

• Do not use illegal drugs. The impairment caused by illegal drugs can take hours and even days to wear off.

• Do not use drugs of any variety to get high.

• Know the side effects of your medications. Read the inserts that come with your medications and speak with your pharmacist about the drugs’ possible impacts on your driving abilities.

• Be aware that drugs interact with each other. Review your list of medications with your pharmacist.

• Ask your pharmacist about the side effects of your medication if alcohol is consumed.

• With prescription and over-the-counter drugs, abuse or misuse can happen and needs to be recognized and corrected. This means that you should not exceed recommended dosages. You should not take someone else’s medicine, or use medicine to get high. Further, it means that you should read and respect labels and warnings.

• As a host, monitor your guests’ behaviour. Monitoring or preventing drug use can be difficult. You need to be watching your guests for signs of unusual behaviour, such as jitters or unexplained mood-swings. If you suspect someone is impaired, speak up and make alternate, safe arrangements for transportation.

• If you have friends or family members who use illegal drugs, clearly communicate to them that your home is not a place where they can get high. Be sympathetic and supportive by encouraging them to get the help they need to overcome their addiction.

• Do not get in a vehicle if the driver is impaired. Make every safe effort to stop an impaired person from operating a vehicle.

• Report impaired driving to the police.