BANFF – Police were out in full force over the Canada Day long weekend in Banff National Park.
From July 1-2, members of Alberta RCMP Traffic conducted an enforcement blitz on the Trans-Canada Highway in Banff and Lake Louise, focused on general road safety, as well as targeted speeding in light of recent incidents of wildlife being struck by motorists in national parks.
The RCMP say a total of 178 tickets were issued, including 144 for speeding and 11 for driving 50 km/h over the posted limit.
Police say the total tickets issued resulted in $42,551 in fines and numerous drivers are facing mandatory court charges.
Throughout the province, Alberta RCMP took 101 impaired drivers off the roads from June 28 to July 1.
Of those, 79 drivers received immediate roadside sanction failures and 22 received immediate roadside sanction warnings.
As well, 1,679 traffic safety violation tickets were issued with 780 motorists being written up for exceeding the speed limit, 31 for distracted driving, and another 34 for the improper use of vehicle safety restraints.
Sadly, there were seven fatalities due to road-related incidents over the long weekend in the province.
“These are individuals who would have been back home on Tuesday. They are our family members, friends, coworkers, and neighbours. It’s devastating,” said Sgt. Darrin Turnbull, of Alberta RCMP Traffic.
“While our officers work to uphold traffic safety, Albertans also have a role to play in helping ensure everyone makes it home safely.”
