Last week, Columbia Valley RCMP stopped three impaired drivers, one of whom was involved in a single-vehicle collision and taken to Invermere and District Hospital with minor injuries.
RCMP impounded vehicles and issued 90-day driving prohibitions in two of the incidents while police await blood test results from a third incident in the past week.
On Monday, July 22nd, Columbia Valley RCMP stopped the driver of a Jeep Patriot that had reportedly failed to stop at the intersection of Highway 93/95 and Armstrong Road in Invermere.
“The driver said he had consumed one beer about an hour prior to being stopped,” said Columbia Valley RCMP. “A breath demand was made and the driver failed two breathe samples.”
RCMP received another report on Sunday of a possible impaired driver in a Dodge truck. Patrolling the area, police said they pulled over the truck on McKay Street in Radium Hot Springs.
“The officer noted the driver’s speech was slurred and she had an odour of liquor on her breath,” said police. “The driver complied with a roadside breath demand which resulted in a ‘fail’ meaning the driver had over 100 milligrams of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood.”
Both of the driver’s vehicles were impounded in the separate incidents and both were given 90-day driving prohibitions as a result.
In the third incident, RCMP are awaiting the results of a blood demand following a single-vehicle collision involving another impaired driver.
Responding to the collision on Friday, July 26th along Westside Road in Invermere, RCMP said the van had left the road and spilled into the ditch.
“The driver admitted to consuming alcohol and the investigating officer could smell an odour of liquor coming from the driver’s breath. The driver and lone occupant of the vehicle was transported to the Invermere hospital with an arm injury.”
At the hospital, a blood demand was made to the driver, as RCMP await results to confirm the individual’s blood alcohol concentration, potentially leading to impaired driving penalties.