Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The Yellowknife RCMP responded to a number of impaired driving related incidents in the city of Yellowknife over the weekend.
On September 9th, 2023, the Yellowknife RCMP were on patrol when a vehicle was noted to be driving erratically. The vehicle was stopped and the driver was asked to provide breath samples in a roadside screening device. The driver failed the test and was arrested for impaired driving and brought to the detachment where she failed to provide additional breath samples. The 34-year-old woman from Yellowknife was processed and released for a future court date as well as given a 24-hour suspension from driving.
Approximately three hours later in the early morning hours of September 10th, 2023, officers saw encountered the same woman driving in downtown Yellowknife. The woman was stopped and arrested a second time for impaired driving. The woman was brought back to the Yellowknife Detachment and provided samples of her breath that indicated that her blood alcohol content was over two times the legal limit. The woman is facing charges of impaired driving for each incident as well as driving while subject to a 24-hour suspension.
On September 11th, 2023 at 4:25 a.m., the Yellowknife RMCP received a report of collision near the Niven Lake access. RCMP officers attended and located a truck that had overturned and was severely damaged after leaving the roadway and colliding with the rock face. Officers checked the interior of the vehicle and determined that a male was trapped inside the vehicle. The man was extracted from the vehicle and taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. This matter remains under investigation with the assistance of a traffic collision reconstructionist. Alcohol and speed are believed to be factors in this incident.
Officers also issued a roadside suspension to another driver that was found to be under the influence of alcohol and responded to several other reports of impaired drivers. Impaired driving continues to be a significant issue in the Northwest Territories and is a preventable cause of injuries and deaths. Anyone who suspects a driver is impaired is asked to call 911.