New impaired driving statistics for Halifax

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The Royal Canadian Mounted Police recently released statistics on impaired driving charges in Halifax during 2016.

According to the press release, the number of people charged for impaired driving during the year was 645. While this is down from last year — which has been the trend in recent years — the RCMP are still concerned that the number is too high.

These numbers differ slightly from annual data kept by Statistics Canada, which found that 659 people in Halifax were charged in 2014 and 663 were charged in 2015. In an interview, Corporal Dal Hutchinson of the Halifax District RCMP was unsure why the numbers were slightly different, but said said Statistics Canada may have used information from before some of the cases went to court.

Constable Dianne Penfound said in the press release that “drivers continue to put themselves and other motorists at risk by driving while impaired.” She goes on to say there is “no excuse for making this choice.”

Rates of people who are charged with impaired driving have been decreasing in Halifax, as well as in Nova Scotia as a whole, according to StatCan data. However, both of those numbers remain higher than the national average.

Hutchinson said in the press release that “everyone has a responsibility to keep our roads safe.” He urged people to call 911 if they suspect someone of driving while impaired.