20 Impaired Drivers Caught In York Region Last Weekend

Over this past weekend, 20 motorists were charged with impaired-related offences, with one of those drivers having driven around road-closed barriers at the Aurora Santa Claus parade.

Between Friday, November 25 and Sunday, November 27, 2016, 17 men and three women were charged with alcohol-related driving offences, including three that resulted from motor vehicle collisions, 12 from general patrol or R.I.D.E. spot checks and five from calls made to police by concerned citizens.

On Saturday, November 26, 2016, shortly after 6:30 p.m., an officer was at a road closure traffic point on Yonge Street, south of St. John’s Sideroad in the Town of Aurora for the Santa Claus parade. A vehicle travelling south on Yonge Street drove around the officer and the road-closed barriers, driving toward the parade route. The car was quickly stopped by another officer before reaching the start of the parade and the driver was investigated. An odor of alcohol was coming from the driver and he was placed under arrest. Four empty vodka cooler bottles were also found in the vehicle. The driver was taken to #1 District Headquarters for a breath test, where he blew more than twice the legal limit for alcohol.

A video of Constable Andy Pattenden speaking about this incident is available for viewing at the following link: https://youtu.be/IqW4Hgib5yk

Despite repeated warnings by police and numerous senseless tragedies on our roadways, drivers are not getting the message. Impaired driving is the number one criminal cause of death in Canada. York Regional Police thanks members of the community for helping us stop and arrest impaired drivers by calling 9-1-1 through the Safe Roads…Your Call program. We consider these incidents a life-threatening crime in progress and will continue to respond to these calls.

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