RCMP stress sober driving

It’s a simple message but one that still doesn’t seem to be getting through to everyone.

“Manitoba RCMP reminds motorists that if you are planning on drinking, please do not drive,” an Oct. 16 news release stated. “By finding an alternative way home you can help ensure that you, and people sharing the road with you, get to their destination safely.”

That was on the heels of the previous evening when Falcon Lake RCMP handed out a pair of roadside suspensions in only 20 minutes.

Officers were conducting traffic enforcement on the Trans-Canada Highway in the Whiteshell Provincial Park near Falcon Lake.

Their licence plate reader alerted police to a vehicle that was connected to a man with an inactive driver’s licence.

The driver of the vehicle, a 61-year-old man from Winnipeg was not the owner but provided a “warn” during mandatory alcohol screening. He received a 72-hour immediate roadside prohibition.

While still processing the first man, police were approached by a passerby who told them another vehicle had stopped on the other side of the highway when it approached the police vehicle, seeing the emergency lights.

Officers responded to that vehicle that was now back on the road and initiated a traffic stop. There they found three passenger ages 23, 29 and 59 who they say were intoxicated.

The 57-year-old driver from Shoal Lake 40 First Nation refused to provide a breath sample and was served with a 90-day suspension.