SGI and police across the province announced there would be heavy enforcement on impaired driving, but there were 545 drivers who didn’t heed the advice to find a safe ride home.

A news release from SGI says there were 183 criminal code charges for impaired driving last month and 362 administrative offences for exceeding provincial limits. They are issued when someone has a blood alcohol content between .04 and .08 and/or they have drugs in their system. SGI spokesperson Tyler McMurchy says the consequences for an administrative offence begin at a three-day licence suspension, but it can be longer if it’s a repeat offence or a new driver. Consequences also include vehicle impoundment, demerits and having to take a weekend impaired driver education course.

When it comes to Criminal Code impaired driving offences, the penalties are fines and potential jail, longer-term driving suspensions and vehicle impoundments, ignition interlock requirements and significant financial penalties under the Safe Driver Recognition program.

Also from the December Traffic Safety Spotlight, over 3,800 tickets were handed out for speeding and aggressive driving and 486 tickets for distracted driving. Of those, 412 were using a cell phone.