Halton Regional Police (HRPS) recently laid three Impaired Driving charges over the span of two days, August 5 and 6, in Oakville. All three charges involved HRPS officers responding to citizen-initiated complaints.
Impaired Driving complaints by citizens play a crucial role in keeping roads safe; If you see someone who appears to be driving under the influence of drugs/alcohol, HRPS encourages you to call 9-1-1 immediately.
Do not reach out to HRPS through Twitter or Facebook, as those accounts are not monitored 24/7.
HRPS' Media Relations Officer Steve Elms says it is helpful when citizens take the initiative and notify Police when they suspect a driver is impaired as "crime prevention is a shared responsibility and officers simply cannot be everywhere at any given time. Any time an impaired driver is removed from the road it makes the community safer."
Here are some signs of an impaired driver:
- Driving unreasonably fast, slow or at an inconsistent speed
- Drifting in and out of lanes
- Tailgating and changing lanes frequently
- Making exceptionally wide turns
- Changing lanes or passing without sufficient clearance
- Overshooting or stopping well before stop signs or stop lights
- Disregarding signals and lights
- Approaching signals or leaving intersections too quickly or slowly
- Driving without headlights, failing to lower high beams or leaving turn signals on
- Driving with windows open in cold or inclement weather
Alternatively, if you see someone speeding and wish to report it, you can submit a Road Watch report.