Fredericton DUI numbers are up, police and MADD campaigning to drive safe
Fredericton has already had more drunk driving charges to date ahead of the 2023 holiday season than it did for all of 2022.
The Fredericton Police Force is partnering with Mothers Against Drunk Driving to remind motorists of the consequences.
"Impaired drivers are everywhere, doesn't matter the time of day, time of night or the location,” said Cst. Garret Fancy with the Fredericton Police Force. “We want people to be aware so they are able to suspect impaired drivers and give us a call if they are able to identify an impaired driver.”
Officers are gearing up for a busy holiday season; they’ve already charged 175 Fredericton drivers under the influence so far this year.
2022 saw 165 drivers charged in the entire year.
"The Canadian government legislated the mandatory alcohol screening otherwise known as MAS,” Fancy said. “Which allows police officers to conduct roadside screen demands without the presence of alcohol.
“Which gives us a lot of opportunity to catch impaired drivers that we may not otherwise be able to catch."
A failed breathalyser test could land you in a holding cell overnight.
"They will be brought into our breath tech room or ‘intox’ room and once they're in that room if they're agreeing to provide samples of breath,” said Cst. Ben Hughes with the Fredericton Police Force. “And based on the reading will determine whether charges are laid.”
Both Cst. Hughes and Cst. Fancy are members of the board of the local MADD chapter.
Police say if you're charged, the consequences are long term.
"Penalties in the thousands of dollars, raised insurance costs,” Hughes said. “Not to mention within the province of New Brunswick you can have your license suspended for a period of 90 days and your vehicle impounded for at least 30 days.”
A DUI criminal charge can also impact the ability to travel out of the country.
For more New Brunswick news visit our dedicated provincial page.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Invasive and toxic hammerhead worms make themselves at home in Ontario
Ontario is now home to an invasive and toxic worm species that can grow up to three feet long and can be dangerous to small animals and pets.
Opinion I just don't get Taylor Swift
It's one thing to say you like Taylor Swift and her music, but don't blame CNN's AJ Willingham's when she says she just 'doesn't get' the global phenomenon.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Britney Spears settles long-running legal dispute with estranged father, finally bringing ultimate end to conservatorship
Britney Spears has reached a settlement with her estranged father more than two years after the court-ordered termination of a conservatorship that had given him control of her life, their attorneys said.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
opinion RFK Jr.'s presidential candidacy and its potential threat to Biden and Trump
Although it's still unclear how much damage Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s candidacy can do to either Joe Biden or Donald Trump this election, Washington political columnist Eric Ham says what is clear is both sides recognize the potential threat.
Haida elder suing Catholic Church and priest, hopes for 'healing and reconciliation'
The lawyer for a residential school survivor leading a proposed class-action defamation lawsuit against the Catholic Church over residential schools says the court action is a last resort.
It's 30 years since apartheid ended. South Africa's celebrations are set against growing discontent
South Africa marked 30 years since the end of apartheid and the birth of its democracy with a ceremony in the capital Saturday that included a 21-gun salute and the waving of the nation's multicolored flag.
From pop to politics, what to know as Sweden prepares for the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest
Taking place in May in Malmo, Sweden, the 68th annual competition will see acts from 37 countries vie for the continent’s pop crown in a feelgood extravaganza that strives — not always successfully – to banish international strife and division. And you don’t have to be in Europe to watch, or to help pick the winner.