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REGINA— Police reported 319 Criminal Code charges related to impaired driving in June, says SGI.

Each charge comes with an immediate, indefinite driver’s licence suspension and a minimum 30-day vehicle impoundment. If convicted, the impaired driver will face stiff fines (starting at $1,000), Safe Driver Recognition penalties (starting at $1,250) and longer-term driving suspensions. Impaired drivers are also required to take driver education and install Ignition Interlock in their vehicle. 

In addition to those criminal charges, police issued an additional 163 administrative licence suspensions to people who exceeded the provincial limits for alcohol or drugs. Each of those licence suspensions comes with a minimum three-day vehicle impoundment, and a requirement to take driver education classes. 

There were 482 impaired driving offences in total.

The penalties for deciding to drive impaired are serious because choosing to drive impaired puts everyone on the road at risk, says SGI. Driving impaired can not only wreck your summer, it can ruin your life. Always find a safe ride, SGI advises. 

For the month of June, police also reported:  

• 482 was also the numbe of tickets for not wearing a seatbelt, or not having children in the proper car seat or booster;  

• 831 tickets for distracted driving, including 719 for using a cellphone while driving; and 

• 5,336 tickets for speeding or aggressive driving offences.