On April 4, an Ottawa police officer responded to a report that a person was consuming alcohol in their vehicle in a Kanata parking lot.
When the officer arrived at the lot off Eagleson Road at 4:26 p.m., they found a man in the vehicle, and when approached by police sped away. Officers tracked him to a nearby industrial area, where the vehicle was stopped, and he was arrested.
The man faces several charges including:
- Flight from peace officer
- Impaired operation of a conveyance
- Operation of conveyance exceeding 80mg of alcohol in 100 ml of blood
- Dangerous operation of a conveyance
This incident comes after police shared data that showcases an increase in impaired driving in the nation’s capital.
According to officials, there have been 56 collisions as of March 30 that involved an impaired driver. This, police said, is a 27 per cent increase in the number of crashes involving drugs or alcohol compared to the same period last year.
To combat this, police say they have conducted 17 campaigns aimed at reducing impaired driving, resulting in 30 people charged and pulled off the roads.
