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
Liberal MP says she's leaving politics over disrespectful dialogue, threats, misogyny
Liberal MP Pam Damoff says she won't run again in the next federal election, saying she has experienced misogyny, disrespectful dialogue in politics and threats to her life.
Concerns about Plexiglass prompt inspections at some Loblaws locations in Ottawa
Inspections are underway at more than one Loblaws location in Ottawa after complaints were filed about tall Plexiglass barriers.
Federal employees will be required to spend 3 days a week in the office
Starting in September, public servants in the core public administration will be required to work in the office a minimum of three days a week. The Treasury Board Secretariat says executives will need to be in the office four days per week.
OPP officer said 'someone's going to get hurt' before wrong-way Hwy. 401 crash
As multiple Durham police cruisers were chasing a robbery suspect on the wrong side of Highway 401 Monday night, an Ontario Provincial Police officer shared his concerns, telling a dispatcher, "Someone's going to get hurt."
Ont. woman who faked pregnancy to defraud doulas arrested again on similar charges
Victims of a Brantford, Ont., woman who was sentenced to house arrest earlier this year for defrauding and deceiving doulas say they’re not surprised she’s been apprehended again on similar charges.
Five human skeletons, missing hands and feet, found outside house of Nazi leader Hermann Göring
Archeologists have unearthed the skeletons of five people, missing their hands and feet, at a former Nazi military base in Poland.
Poilievre returns to House unrepentant for calling Trudeau 'wacko,' Speaker not resigning
An unrepentant Pierre Poilievre returned to the House of Commons on Wednesday to pepper the prime minister about his drug decriminalization policies after being booted the day prior for refusing to take back calling Justin Trudeau 'wacko' over his approach to the issue.
Construction begins on LGBTQ2S+ national monument in Ottawa
Shovels have hit the ground for constuction on Canada's LGBTQ2S+ national monument in Ottawa.
B.C. man awarded $5,000 in damages in first-of-it-kind intimate image case
In a first-of-its-kind case, a B.C. tribunal has ruled on a dispute involving the non-consensual sharing of intimate images, awarding damages and issuing orders that the photos be destroyed and taken offline.