Three drivers received licence suspensions on February 21, 2024, by RCMP NL for having blood alcohol concentrations that were above the provincial limit.
Shortly after 7:00 p.m., Grand Falls-Windsor RCMP received a request for assistance from a Municipal Enforcement Officer who had stopped a vehicle on Toulette Drive in Grand Falls-Windsor and smelled alcohol on the driver. A RCMP officer attended the traffic stop and administered a roadside breath test. The driver, a 31-year-old man, provided a breath sample that was above the provincial limit but below the criminal threshold for impaired driving. The vehicle was seized and impounded.
At approximately 8:45 p.m., Bay Roberts RCMP received a report of a vehicle stuck in a snowbank on the Conception Bay Highway in Bay Roberts. Police attended, observed open alcohol inside the vehicle, and administered a roadside breath test. The driver, a 25-year-old man, provided a roadside breath sample that was above the provincial limit but below the criminal threshold for impaired driving. The vehicle was seized and impounded and the man was ticketed for having open alcohol.
Shortly after 10:30 p.m., Burin Peninsula RCMP stopped a speeding vehicle on Route 210 in Marystown. Police suspected that the driver, a 37-year-old man, may be impaired by alcohol. A roadside breath test was administered with a result that was above the provincial limit but below the criminal threshold for impaired driving. The vehicle was seized and impounded.
RCMP NL reminds motorists that, as per the Highway Traffic Act of NL, drivers with a blood alcohol concentration between 50 mgs% and 79 mgs% will receive a 7-day licence suspension and a 3-day vehicle impoundment. Drivers with a blood alcohol concentration of 80 mgs% or above are subject to charges under the Criminal Code of Canada, a further licence suspension and a vehicle impoundment.
RCMP NL continues to fulfill its mandate to protect public safety, enforce the law, and ensure the delivery of priority policing services in Newfoundland and Labrador.