
(THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck)
The final week of the Manitoba RCMP’s holiday checkstop program saw 20 people charged with impaired driving.
Between December 23, 2019 and January 1, 2020, Mounties checked more than 2,190 vehicles during 80 checkstops.
The highest blood/alcohol reading reported during that week was 0.220. Seven alcohol or drug-related roadside suspensions were issued.
During the month-long initiative, 80 people were charged with impaired driving through 386 checkstops.
Of those, 67 were for alcohol impairments, two for drugs and 11 people refused breathalyzers.
Twenty-four alcohol-related suspensions were issued, while three were issued for drugs.
RCMP also issued 17 immediate roadside prohibitions.
Eleven people lost their lives in nine traffic-related collisions, compared to five fatalities in accidents last season.
Last year during the 2018/2019 program, RCMP checked 11,714 vehicles during 262 checkstops and charged 105 people with impaired driving.