Police to crack down on unsafe driving this weekend

Police will be out in force this weekend trying to make Island roads safer for drivers.

Oct. 6-9 will mark Operation Impact, an annual nationwide initiative to crack down on unsafe driving habits and encourage safe ones.

Sgt. Leanne Butler, the Operations NCOfor Queens District RCMP, said the high number of Canadians travelling because of the long weekend makes this a good time to hold the operation.

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"The weather's still good and because it's Thanksgiving families are getting together and there's a lot of traveling," Butler said.

"So this weekend has typically been one that we'd like to focus on road safety."

Focus on impaired driving

Police will be on particular lookout for impaired drivers, Butler said.

"We are certainly focusing this weekend with extra resources, with extra patrols, we do some checkpoints, we do checks of vehicles for impaired driving because we're trying to keep impaired drivers off the road," she said.

Butler said there are things Islanders can do to help law enforcement reduce drinking and driving.

"If you know somebody who may drink and drive try to help make sure that they don't and if you see somebody that you believe is driving while impaired call 911," Butler said.

Aggressive and distracted driving

It's not just impaired driving police are looking to reduce. Aggressive drivers, speeders, drivers not wearing their seatbelts and distracted driving are also being targeted this weekend.

According to the RCMP, eight people have died in the province this year because of vehicle collisions.

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