SGI's Traffic Safety Spotlight for the month of January was once again Impaired Driving, and once again, the infractions were higher than the number that's considered appropriate, zero.

Throughout the month of January, SGI reported 224 impaired driving offences, including 194 criminal code charges, and 30 roadside administrative suspensions. The number is very similar to 2018 where 221 impaired driving offences were reported during January's spotlight. 

"We said when we kicked off January that we want 2019 to be the year that nobody even thinks about driving impaired, clearly some people did not take that advice. Of course, we want no one to ever drive impaired. We want no one to ever be charged with impaired driving, and we want no one to ever be hurt or killed as a result of impaired driving," said Manager of Media Relations with SGI, Tyler McMurchy. 

Last fall, new provincial legislation took effect that included zero tolerance for drug-impaired driving. Then, on December 18, 2018, new federal law enabled police to demand a roadside breath sample from any driver they’ve pulled over.

"Impaired driving is still the number one cause of death on Saskatchewan roads."

Also in January, police in Saskatchewan reported 640 distracted driving offences (including 545 cellphone tickets, 383 tickets related to seatbelts and car seats, and 5,160 tickets for speeding and aggressive driving.

The spotlight for March will shift to distracted driving, and evident by the 640 tickets issued in January, is something that still needs light shed on it.