RCMP to keep watch on roads this Holiday weekend

The first long weekend of our summer of 2014 (yes we realize it's not technically summer yet, but the season is short enough as it is, we'll take the May Long weekend as its unofficial start) has arrived and with it, many residents of the Northwest will be taking to the roads.

As they do, awareness of safe driving practices should be high on their list of weekend items and if not, there's a good chance that drivers may find themselves pulled over to the side of the road, with an RCMP car behind them.

May 13-19 is Canada Road Safety week and the May long weekend arrives as the week dedicated to safety comes to an end.

In a press release earlier this week, the RCMP in British Columbia highlighted the four behaviours that will receive extra attention by them this year.

Impaired operation by alcohol and drugs

Failure or improper use of seat belts

Distracted driving

Aggressive driving

More background on Canada Road Safety Week can be found here.

As well as on the highways, drivers in Prince Rupert may also wish to give some thought to better driving habits.  Enforcement in the City has been a fairly successful venture in recent years for the Prince Rupert Detachment.

As we outlined on Monday on the blog, reading material delivered to City Council this week offered up a glimpse as to the success of the enforcement campaign in Prince Rupert.

In 2013 Traffic fines in Prince Rupert provided revenues of 279,423 dollars to the City of Prince Rupert.  An increase of $56,000 from the amounts of 2012, when the City collected $223,114.

Whether this indicates an increased dedication to enforcement, or increasingly poor driving skills on the North Coast no doubt might make for an interesting study.

Regardless, Safety first should probably be the number one concern for all on the roads this Victoria Day weekend!