I’m sure I wasn’t the only one who took notice of the abundance of RCMP members on motorcycles last week. They were everywhere, and Border City motorists seemed to be keeping them very busy.
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Was it due to Lloyd’s favourite pastime of getting window-tint tickets, or some drivers giving off the impression that the rules of the road don’t apply to them? I’m not quite sure, but it’s safe to say I lost count of the number of drivers I saw pulled over in front of an RCMP bike.
Seeing multiple people pulled over within a two-block radius of each other on several occasions was a stark reminder that many motorists take driving for granted.
Witnessing tow trucks hook up to vehicles and young drivers getting their mouths swabbed also made me realize we might not be as sober as law enforcement would like.
I say “would like” because in my opinion, a lot of drivers get behind the wheel with a buzz on when they should have found an alternative way home.
If it sounds like I’m playing devil’s advocate, know that I’ve been that driver and I’m not proud of it. I’ve mentioned this in previous columns, but Aug. 1 will mark two years of zero alcohol for me and Chels.
Heck, we don’t even smoke weed anymore! When people ask us about sober living, my joking response is “I think we’re joining a monestary next week!”
The truth of it is, we continue to live like this because we feel good and I’m proud of us for staying the course.
As reporter Dan Gray discussed last week, impaired driving has a variety of consequences and affects more than the person behind the wheel.
Gone are the days of booze cruises down back roads, at least they should be with the laws in place for those who get caught.
I’m sure some readers will skim this column and tell me to stick it where the sun don’t shine, and they’re within their right to do so.
However, the fact providing a mandatory breath sample is now the law and mouth swabs can nail you for impaired driving after smoking a joint, I ask, is it worth it?
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The truth is we have become a zero risk tolerance society.
Im not gonna advocate for drinking and driving but today’s cops have a piss poor sense of jugement. I don’t care if it is policy or their own initiative but I have very little respect for the way they handle traffic stops and waste our public money.
For what I been told and have witnessed myself breathalysers are mandatory for every traffic stop. It is a discusting waste of public dollars. 99.9% of traffic stops involve sober people and cops can tell, if they don’t have enough jugement to tell if a person is sober or not, then where else do they lack this jugement skill. What next? Are they gonna start to taser people at random intervals too. You can never be too sure if a citizen carries a weapon or not, right?
To finish these blitz are stupid, do very little for public safety. Those are not the troublemakers of our society. Just an easy target to harass and violate. And you tought taxes were enough violence and harassement for one year. Wrong again.