As members of the RCMP Central Interior Traffic Service (also known as Highway Patrol), we continually see the dangerous effects of drugs on the safety of the public – particularly those of us driving on the roads in British Columbia.
In the last year, our unit has stopped 29 people driving on the local highways and Merritt’s city streets were high on drugs. Their abilities to operate the motor vehicles they were driving were seriously impaired. Drivers impaired by drugs such as marijuana, cocaine, prescription and non-prescription medication with warnings not to drive are unable to react appropriately to the changing conditions of their driving environments. Their reaction times are slower and they can’t multi-task effectively. What this really means is that, if a driver is high while driving down a city street, that driver has to concentrate on so many things at one time (maintaining a steady speed, steering straight, watching the vehicles ahead) that the driver won’t be able to react when your child walks out to cross the street, or when you slow down in front of them to turn left.
In 2012, the local RCMP found various drivers in all types of vehicles driving while impaired by drugs: minivans driven by mothers with their kids’ soccer stuff in the backs; vehicles driven by workers coming home from a long day of work; kids cruising around on weekend evenings; hunters coming down from the hills and back into town (with their rifles sitting beside them).
In all these examples, RCMP officers ended up seizing the driver’s licence, towing the vehicle and issuing driving prohibitions. In most cases, drugs and paraphernalia were seized and destroyed. As a direct result of using drugs, these people became dangerous drivers using the same streets and roads that you use to take your kids to the pool, your friends to a restaurant, or just to get yourself home safe.
We all may think we are excellent drivers, and we teach our kids to follow all the rules, such as look both ways before crossing the street and walk facing traffic. We go out of our way to ensure the safety of our families and ourselves.
As police officers, we do our very best to get every impaired driver off the road, but none of this will matter in the least if someone is high on drugs, driving a 2,000 pound car on our streets and because their ability to operate a motor vehicle is impaired, they don’t react appropriately and kill someone you care about.
If you think that drug use by people in Merritt and by those who travel through our community doesn’t affect you, think again.
Submitted by Cpl. Shana McLeod
