Percentage spike

Impaired driving reports up 47 per cent on P.E.I. in 2018

The number of impaired drivers reported in P.E.I. went up 47 per cent in 2018, a Statistics Canada report says.

According to the July 22 report, it’s the highest percentage increase across Canada, with no other province breaking into double digits.

Statistics Canada analyst Warren Silver said it’s proportioned per 100,000 people. The Island population was estimated around 155,000 people as of April 2019.

“Forty-seven per cent is significant for P.E.I.,” Silver said.

Overall, there were 639 reports last year, while there were only 428 in 2017. This increase of 211 is the thirdhighest in the country, with Alberta and British Columbia increasing by 634 and 831, respectively.

It’s also the highest percentage spike for P.E.I. in the last 20 years.

Of the reports, 288 people were charged, which may differ from numbers recorded by police or RCMP. Most revolved around alcohol, but the number of charges against drug-impaired drivers had doubled from 16 to 32.

“Alcohol-impaired represented 87 per cent of the incidents,” Silver said.

One incident resulted in death, the report said.

Relatively, P.E.I. had the thirdlowest number of reports that year, with Yukon and Nunavut just below. But that isn’t keeping P.E.I. police from fighting to make the roads safer.

Island RCMP spokeswoman Sgt. Leanne Butler said while police officers often spot and report impaired drivers, she’s noticed a growing trend over the past few years.

“More and more, we do catch impaired drivers because citizens are calling in.”

This may be because the RCMP has simply been asking more.

“We want you to call because we want to fight impaired driving,” she said. “Because we’re giving people the permission to call, they’re doing so.”

Even if a report turns out to be wrong, police officers will investigate. The Queens County detachment has received 158 calls reporting suspected impaired drivers between Jan. 1 and July 28 this year, Butler said.

“But only 36 charges for the year so far.”

It’s a continued concern for P.E.I. When Butler and her detachment make their yearly priorities, impaired driving is still in the top three.

“It is an ongoing problem that we’re trying to combat.”

Susan MacAskill, regional manager for MADD Canada, shares this concern.

“We don’t want to see anyone on P.E.I. injured or killed because of an impaired driver.”

She credits police officers for their diligence in spotting impaired drivers and responding to reports. Last year’s legalization of cannabis meant police were given additional training to detect drivers under the influence of drugs.

There’s a possibility this training affected 2018’s overall increase in reports, she said.

MADD has also boosted its campaigns to show the public that impaired driving is still a problem.

“The reality is that nobody needs to be killed,” MacAskill said.

P.E.I. also had the highest increase in the Crime Severity Index (CSI), which helps measure the volume and seriousness of crimes. In 2018 it stood at 54, a 17 per cent increase from 2017. Canada’s CSI was 75 in 2018. “Although you had the highest increase among the provinces and territories, you’re still fairly low,” Silver said.

“We want you to call because we want to fight impaired driving. Because we’re giving people the permission to call, they’re doing so.” RCMP Sgt. Leanne Butler