BANFF – Banff RCMP is leading the charge in drunk driving enforcement in southern Alberta.
Road safety and traffic enforcement is one of the Banff police detachment’s top priorities, with distracted drivers caught with smartphones and impaired driving statistics meeting 2022 record pace.
“A success story is Banff is leading the province in impaired driving enforcement with suspension tickets,” said Sgt. Natalie Rice, supervisor and investigator for Banff RCMP detachment.
“Statistics wise, there were 394 suspension tickets in southern Alberta district, and Banff had 26 per cent of those. We’ve had 105 immediate roadside sanctions and a 98 per cent conviction rate in those.”
Following in the steps of B.C. and Manitoba, Alberta has had stricter laws for impaired driving, including immediate roadside sanctions, since 2020.
First time offenders don’t necessarily face criminal charges, but face fines of up to $1,500, and can have their vehicle seized and impounded for a month.
With repeat driving-under-the-influence offences showing a pattern of high-risk driving behaviour, the penalties escalate with each occurrence.
There are also compulsory education programs and mandatory ignition interlock for repeat offenders.
Criminal charges can still be laid against repeat offenders or for serious incidents resulting in injury or death.
Staff Sgt. Mike Buxton-Carr, detachment commander for Banff RCMP, said the fact that Banff has issued 26 per cent of roadside suspensions related to impaired driving in southern Alberta communities does not mean Banff has more impaired driving.
He said it is due to the RCMP’s ability to do proactive work, particularly given the Town of Banff funded two more RCMP positions in 2022-23.
“I would not say Banff has a bigger impaired driving problem. I would say every community has an impaired driving problem,” said Buxton-Carr.
“This is a result of us having the ability to do the proactive work and find it. Consistently throughout my career, if you go out to find impaired drivers, you will sadly find impaired drivers.”
Two Banff RCMP members received the Cpl. Cumming’s Watch award, an initiative between Alberta RCMP and Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) Canada to support police efforts in the detection and removal of impaired drivers on Alberta roads.
The program is named in honour of Cpl. Graeme Cumming, a member of the RCMP who was killed on duty by an impaired driver while attending a traffic incident on Highway 3 near Lethbridge on Aug. 12, 1998.
Cst. David Little of the Banff detachment and Cst. Reyno La Cock of Bow Valley Traffic Services both qualified for the silver award in 2022 and again in 2023.
Little secured 44 impaired driving sanctions in 2022 – 20 were for over 100 blood alcohol concentration, in what is referred to as a ‘fail’ rather than ‘caution’ – and 43 sanctions in 2023, of which 23 were a fail.
La Cock secured 37 sanctions in 2022, including 16 fails, and 44 in 2023, of which 20 were a fail.
Buxton-Carr said he is proud of the work being done to nab impaired drivers.
“The team has done a lot of good work motivating each other,” he said.
“You would never know what could happen if those drivers weren’t apprehended. Some of them would have arrived home safely, some of them would have caused mayhem.”
On New Year’s Eve Dec. 31, Banff RCMP conducted a breathalyzer blitz on Banff Avenue to catch drunk drivers.
