It was a busy Labour Day long weekend for the Alberta RCMP.
Between September 1 and 4, police handed out 2,124 tickets. Over a thousand of these tickets were for speeding, 41 were for distracted driving, and 46 were for liquor and cannabis related offences.
On top of that, 50 tickets were handed out simply because the driver was not wearing a seatbelt.
“In a four-day period, we issued over 2,000 tickets; 2,000 tickets for what should, by this point, be common sense. Everyone knows the risks of speeding. Everyone knows the risk of driving under the influence,” said inspector Chris Romanchych, the officer in charge of Alberta RCMP traffic services.
“The decisions to break the rules of the road is an extremely selfish one that does not consider how your choices may affect others. Saving a couple of minutes by speeding isn’t worth risking the lives of others. I would hope that people consider the cost of a cab as less than the cost of a life.”
Due to a combination of speeding, impairment, and improper use of safety equipment, five fatal car crashes happened over the weekend, resulting in six deaths.
Alberta RCMP are reminding drivers that traffic safety is everyone’s responsibility, and to exercise caution and preparation when heading onto the roads for the weekend.
