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Drunk driving capital of Canada named as Kelowna, BC

By Justin Mastine-Frost RSS feed

Posted Jan 19th 2013 6:00PM

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It's safe to say that no city ever wants to be known for most criminal acts of any kind, let alone one that has led to so many preventable deaths. Based on recent Stats Canada numbers, Kelowna, BC leads the nation in drunk driving offences by more than double the national average.

To make matters worse, Kelowna has seen a rise in drinking and driving charges of 76 per cent since 2001, which is surprising know that BC has been toughening their drunk-driving laws in recent years. The province as a whole seems to be having a tough time getting people to hand over their keys while tipsy as four of the 10 top-ranked cities are from British Columbia.

The RCMP is claiming this whole scenario as more of a victory than a loss, stating that improved enforcement is the driving force behind the increase in charges. Knowing the region fairly well ourselves we have to say we have our doubts. Kelowna has always been known for being a bit of a party town all year 'round, and there's no doubt that that mentality spills over into people's decision making when it comes to getting home.

Click here to read the full article.

Motorists Surround Drunk Driver While Waiting for Police

Category: Canada, Government/Legal

Tags: drinking and driving canada, drinking driving canada, drinkingdrivingcanada, drunk driving, kelowna, RCMP, RIDE program, stats, top 10, when is the kelowna car show 2013, whenisthekelownacarshow2013

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DavieT

Very very misleading. This is absolutely a good thing, not a bad thing. Anybody who has experience and knowledge about gathering comparative police force statistics can verify to you that this does not mean there is a higher percentage of the population that drives drunk. This means the police force in B.C. is superior at catching impaired drivers and simply has better tactics. In Ontario, Peel Region has a substantial amount more impaired driving charges than its neighbouring municipality, Halton. This again just means one police force has a higher focus and training on these aspects and less a statement on the population

January 22 2013 at 1:37 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
mayajokic

this is concerning especially since in recent years there are reports that there is far greater impatience on the roads across Canada and when you mix in the alcohol with this its a lethal combination!!

January 22 2013 at 7:39 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
garykosowan

The more road checks you have, the more drunk drivers you find. This is a no brainer. Provinces that are less active with road checks have less drunk drivers.

January 21 2013 at 7:50 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply