The Estevan Police Service will be taking part in a province-wide program to target impaired drivers.
Operation Overdrive will run from Dec. 15 to 17 and Dec. 22 to 23 and is targeted at stopping drunk driving. The matter is of particular importance to Estevan as drunk driving continues to be a major issue with a number of arrests throughout the year. There have also been a number of impaired driving arrests during the holiday season.
At the Dec. 7 board of police commissioners meeting, EPS Chief Del Block said his officers would be taking part in the operation and added that drunk driving continues to be a big focus for his department.
Operation Overdrive is the second province-wide co-ordinated traffic safety blitz.
"Drinking and driving is the number one cause of fatal crashes in Saskatchewan," said Andrew Cartmell, president and CEO of SGI. "Despite this alarming fact, some people still choose to drive impaired. Operation Overdrive helps raise public awareness that it is simply not acceptable to endanger the lives of others on the road by driving while impaired."
A recent SGI survey conducted by Insightrix Research Inc. shows that 92 per cent of people in Saskatchewan feel impaired driving is a serious concern in the province. Last year alone there were more than 1,400 impaired driving collisions, resulting in more than 760 injuries and 69 deaths.
"Operation Overdrive allows police agencies across the province to concentrate their efforts and emphasize the fact that if you choose to drink and drive, you will be caught," said Chief Troy Hagen, president of the Saskatchewan Association of Chiefs of Police. "However, apprehending impaired drivers is an ongoing focus of Saskatchewan law enforcement, no matter the time of year."
The province's first co-ordinated traffic blitz, Operation HandsFree, took place in November and resulted in 207 drivers being fined for cellphone use while driving. A provincial blitz will be held each month targeting a particular traffic safety issue.
