With the Victoria Day long weekend approaching, Northumberland OPP are urging drivers to make smart choices after laying several impaired driving charges over the past few days.
On May 10, officers stopped a vehicle on Burnham Street North in the Township of Hamilton following a traffic complaint. Police say the driver, an 18-year-old from Bridgenorth, failed a roadside screening test and was taken into custody. Charges include impaired operation, failing to properly wear a seatbelt, and being a novice driver with alcohol in their system.
Early the next morning, shortly before 2 a.m., police responded to a disturbance in the Municipality of Brighton involving damage to a vehicle and a home. Officers stopped a vehicle nearby and launched an impaired driving investigation. A 19-year-old from Brighton was charged with two counts of impaired operation, mischief, and several violations related to holding a G1 licence. A 17-year-old passenger from Brighton also faces two counts of mischief under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
Later that day, around 1:45 p.m., police responded to a single-vehicle crash on Highway 401 eastbound near Lyle Street in Alnwick/Haldimand. The driver, a 37-year-old from Brighton, was uninjured but charged with impaired operation and having cannabis readily available in the vehicle.
All three drivers face 90-day licence suspensions and seven-day vehicle impoundments.
Police remind the public that driving while impaired by alcohol or drugs is a criminal offence. Anyone who suspects an impaired driver should call 911.
“Whether by alcohol or drugs, impaired is impaired,” said the OPP.
(Written by: Joseph Goden)