i v7 g ° . th . But seat belt and speeding violators _ worry officers “RCMP OFFICERS didn’t come. across one impaired driver during their recent traffic enforcement campaign over the | Thanksgiving long weekend. “We never had an impaired driver which is fantastic,” said Terrace highway patrol officer Constable John Graziano of the Oct. 7 to Oct. 10 intensive campaign. But officers did issue a few 24-hour licence suspensions for those operating a motor vehicle while their ability was af- fected by alcohol or illegal drugs. During last year’s Thanksgiving week- end campaign, one person .was charged for impaired driving and one 24-hour ‘_ suspension was handed out. All told, RCMP officers here nabbed u over.150 motorists for driving and: ve- ‘hicle infractions over the Thanksgiving weekend. The Operation Impact campaign saw 133 charges and 30 warnings handed out. Forty-seven drivers were charged for seat-belt infractions, 33 for speeding against a highway sign, 11 for failing to produce a driver’s licence, 10 for not having a driver’s license, seven for not having insurance, six for vehicle licens- ing infractions, six for disobeying a red light at an intersection, four for driving | contrary to restrictions, three for exces- sive speed and one each for following too closely, failure to yield to a vehicle and for disobeying a stop sign. Three charges went to commercial — drivers for failing to complete a daily log or a pre-trip report. Police issued five warnings for speed- ing against a highway sign, three for fail- ure to change address, three for failing to have a numbered licence plate and one for disobeying a stop sign. Seven drivers received Suspensions; five for drugs and two for liqueur. Police impounded one vehicle for 30 days and issued three notices to prohib- ited drivers. They issued 18 notices and orders to motorists whose vehicles required repair for damages such ‘as non-operational driver-side windows, defective mufflers, cracked windshields and burned out tail- lights or headlights. ; : Graziano said the campaign was very successful from a police perspective, al- though he was surprised with the number of seat-belt and speeding violations. “We have been writing a number of tickets and ICBC said the numbers were coming down,” he said. * “Obviously compliance was not what we hoped to see.” ipa The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, November 2, 2005 - AQ Lack of impaired drivers pleases police Only 35 charges were handed out last year compared to this year’s 133, but Graziano said fewer officers were part of that 2004 campaign. Overall, this year’ S results were about average, he said. . Highway patrol officers mount their next campaign against unsafe speeders Nov. 18 to 28. _ Police were also happy with the re- sults of their July 28- -Aug. | campaign to enforce traffic laws. Highway patrol officers issued 52 vio- lation tickets, the bulk of those being re- lated to speed, said Const. Chris Roman- chych of the highway patrol. Police handed out 26 notices and or- ders for vehicle’ defects, five 24-hour. .driving prohibitions, caught one impaired - driver and made one drug seizure. *’Romanchych said most 24-hour driv- ing prohibitions are given out for alco- hol intoxication but can also be issued “for driving under the influence of illegal drugs. These motorists not only receive a suspension, but their vehicles are subject to being towed away. Impaired driving charges are handed out for people whose blood alcohol is over the limit while 24-hour suspensions are handed out for being over,a limit that’s safe to drive but not past the legal limit. Basically. Romanchych said it’s best not to drink and climb into the driver’s © seat. ' “That’s a good: rule to follow,” he said, , Next year’s campaign will focus more on intersection infractions such as running red lights: and pushing the yel- low lights at intersections in addition.to » watching for speeders and drivers pass- ing when it’s unsafe, he says. : What we ‘ve heard : so far The preceding strategic options were outlined over the past year after istening tc toa wide range of people, including a Provincial Advisory. Committee, First Nations, people in all regions of the province, and of course, our customers. After all consultation has been taken into account, our final plan will be chosen based upon the strategy that best provides reliable power, at low cost for generations. Provincial Advisory Committee be Common elements drawn by the Provincial Advisory Committee: Price Risk. — Committee members were concerned about price risk, especially driven by gas price uncertainty. Demand-Side Management — Committee members favoured substantial efforts towards Demand- Side Management (programs that help BC Hydro and our customers to use resources wisely). Green Projects — Committee members supported Green projects, as their costs are competitive with other options. Energy Self-sufficiency and Insurance ~ Committee Members supported planning to have more energy than required for self-sufficiency, as long as it is done in moderation as an insurance policy, not as an export strategy. Public opinion. | | . | A recent public poll shows that different resources have different levels of public support. The level of support for each option is outlined 1 below: “1 2 ronaly i Obese “ We can’t do it without you Regardless of the resource option chosen, we need active participation from our customers to meet future energy needs. Conservation is crucial to our success, and this means higher levels of participation and a change in energy usage habits. We must ask ourselves: are we prepared to make being Power Smart a way i of life and of doing business? ‘Source: BC Hydro Public Opinion Research conducted in June of 2005. Numbers may not add to exactly one hundred per cent due to rounding. Find out more at www.bchydro.com i We plan to make sure all British Columbians remain as proud of our system in the future as we have been in the past 100 years. This pride is the foundation of our plan to ensure B.C.’s electricity remains RELIABLE and LOW COST | for generations pw ae var vars