`We want you driving sober': police boost roadside checks
Following a horrific fatal crash on Deerfoot Trail last week, Calgary police say they 're making multiple efforts to prevent drunk driving on city roads, including increased checkstops and patrols over the holiday season.
Staff Sgt. Robbie Patterson, the top officer in the Calgary police's traffic section, made a plea to Calgarians on Wednesday to drive sober through the holidays as part of the force's Impaired Driving Month. He said over the past 10 years in Alberta, more than 500 people have died due to a drunk driving collision — a rate of almost one every week — more than 7,000 have been injured and “tens of thousands” of lives and families have been affected.
“Most of this can be attributed to a choice,” he said. “When you are going to imbibe, when you're going to use alcohol or when you're going to use drugs, ensure that you have a plan to get home safely.”
Patterson said the number of impaired driving charges has risen over the past few years, reaching 1,500 this year, an increase he attributed to legislative changes in 2020 that gave police more power for immediate roadside licence prohibitions.
“It's easier than ever for our officers to be able to process these charges quickly, and as a result we are seeing an increased presence,” he said.
Calgary police are also partnering with other regional law enforcement agencies — including the Tsuut'ina police, the Alberta Sheriffs Highway Patrol and the RCMP — to crack down on impaired drivers. Last Saturday, the agencies combined for what Patterson called the “largest checkstop in Alberta history,” involving more than 40 officers.
“On that night, we took 13 impaired drivers off the road and gave the message to Albertans and to Calgarians that we don't want you driving impaired; we want you driving sober,” he said.
The “absolute worst outcome” of driving under the influence was exemplified in last week's fatal crash on Deerfoot Trail, said Patterson.
Officers were called to the scene of the two-vehicle collision around 3:15 a.m. on Dec. 2 in the southbound lanes of Deerfoot between 32nd Avenue N.E. and 16th Avenue N.E. Police say a truck travelling northbound in the southbound lanes collided head-on with a vehicle headed southbound, and alcohol and speed were factors in the crash.
“We have somebody who was ... minding their own business driving perfectly legally and lawfully who ends up losing their life,” Patterson said. “It's also been very tragic and victimizes a number of other people within the family. And not to mention the first responders that had to come to that.”
Court documents identify 27-year-old Imanpal Singh Shergill as the victim of the collision. A friend of the victim said Shergill was never one to touch alcohol.
“He hated alcohol; he never used to drink. Ironic that he got hit and killed by a drunk driver — I still can't believe it,” said the friend, who declined to give his full name.
“People should not drink and drive at all . ... A lot of people will just ignore this because they think, I can just go ahead and drive however I want, live my life the way that I want to — that's cool. But when it endangers the life of another, that's where the problem lies.”
Red Deer resident Tyson Tyler Giroux, 29, is charged with impaired driving causing death, dangerous driving causing death and refusal to provide a breath sample.
Police urge anyone who sees a drunk driver or suspects somebody may be driving under the influence to call 911.
“Impaired driving is a crime and it's a dangerous crime,” Patterson said. “So we would encourage you to call 911; don't wait on the non-emergency line if you see somebody that you feel is impaired.”