Image: Abbotsford Police

By Don Mitchell

impaired drivers

‘High-Risk Driver’ encounters with Abby police similar year over year despite ‘concerning’ November spike

Dec 1, 2024 | 11:14 AM

ABBOTSFORD – Despite reported spikes in impaired driving incidents during November, Abbotsford police data suggests encounters with high-risk drivers have remained relatively steady year over year.

In a social media post on Saturday, AbbyPD reported the removal of 1,547 high-risk drivers during daily patrols in the first 11 months of 2024.

The average so far is proportional to 2023’s year-end total, when 1,754 high-risk drivers were removed from municipal roadways by frontline officers.

Our AbbyPD frontline officers continue to make road safety a priority within our community during their daily patrols. So far this year, 1,547 High-risk drivers have been removed from Abbotsford roadways. Road safety is a shared responsibility of all road users #RoadSafetyMatters pic.twitter.com/f047AIluOW

— Abbotsford Police Department (@AbbyPoliceDept) November 30, 2024

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Of the 1,547 interactions in 2024, 725 individuals were determined to be impaired.

Additionally, 313 were removed for speeding, while 228 were prohibited from operating a vehicle for various reasons.

In comparison, 2023 saw 842 compromised operators, 340 speeders and 262 banned drivers removed from the roads.

On Monday, AbbyPD expressed concern over a weekend during which 23 impaired drivers were removed in a 30-hour period.

Earlier in November, similar concerns were raised after 11 drivers were taken off city roadways during the overnight hours of Nov. 9.

Over the weekend, in a thirty-hour span, AbbyPD frontline officers from Patrol, Gang Crime and our Traffic Enforcement Units removed 23 impaired drivers from Abbotsford roadways. These numbers continue to be concerning to us. Enforcement continues. #RoadSafetyMatters pic.twitter.com/YVcGcvjVse

— Abbotsford Police Department (@AbbyPoliceDept) November 25, 2024

The city is preparing to begin its annual Operation Red Nose campaign, a program designed to help impaired drivers and their vehicles get home safely using volunteers as designated drivers.

Enforcement officials hope the initiative, combined with field sobriety testing over the holiday season, will reduce impaired driving incidents between now and the new year.

During the 2024 campaign launch on Nov. 16, Abby police chief Colin Watson maintained that road safety was a “strategic priority.”

“Within Abbotsford alone, we have over 910 kilometres of roadway that our officers patrol each day to try to keep the community safe and to identify impaired drivers,” Watson explained.

“We value safe streets and streets that are free from impaired drivers and other unsafe driving behaviors. Operation Red Nose is one of those ways that we work towards Abbotsford being the safest community in B.C.”

The campaign, which began in Quebec in the mid-1980s, will start in Abbotsford and Mission on Dec. 6. The service will be available on Fridays and Saturdays throughout December, as well as on New Year’s Eve.

Meanwhile, volunteers in Chilliwack have already started offering the service, which will run until Dec. 31.

Since its inception in 1996, over 100,000 rides have been provided by volunteers in B.C.