Kitimat RCMP dealt with two drinking and driving cases New Year's Eve, while the District of Kitimat saw a substantial increase in ridership on the free bus service sponsored by Rio Tinto, LNG Canada and Kitimat LNG.
According to Sgt. Graham Morgan, one case involved a 68 year old woman who blew a "fail" after providing a breath sample, resulting in a 90 day driving prohibition. While dealing with that case, officers observed a vehicle speeding by them on Kingfisher Avenue. That vehicle was stopped and the 31 year old male driver refused to provided a breath sample. He also received a 90 day driving prohibition. In both cases, the vehicles were impounded for 30 days and both drivers were from Kitimat. There were no impaired driving investigations in Kitimat on New Year's Eve last year, according to Morgan.
The free bus service, which ran from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m., had 273 riders, up 119 users over last year. Many people also offered designated driving services in various Facebook groups, providing Kitimat residents with numerous options to get home safely after the year end celebrations.
In November and December of 2016, RCMP handed out three other 90 day driving prohibitions and one three day driving prohibition.
As of November 2016, Kitimat RCMP had handed out 73 driving suspensions for the year, down from 101 to date in 2015. Final year to date crime statistics are expected later this month.
A "warn" is given to individuals who register a blood alcohol content between 50 to 80 milligrams of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood while providing a breath sample. A "fail" is given when the person's blood alcohol content is higher than 80 milligrams in 100 millilitres of blood.