June 2, 2020 – Dangerous Driving

On June 1, 2020 at approximately 7:30 PM a Ford F350 was travelling North on 11^th Avenue NE in the 2300 hundred block at a high rate of speed. The vehicle sideswiped a parked vehicle and then crashed into a wooden power pole, narrowly missing two children who were walking in the area.

1. 39-year-old male was located by members of the Medicine Hat Police Service at the scene. The male was arrested and charged with dangerous driving, issued a 24-hour driving suspension and several traffic safety acts violations.

Impaired driving continues to be a major contributing factor in fatal and serious injuries in Alberta. On average, 6,000 people were convicted of impaired driving in Alberta each year for the last five years. And from 2008-2016, 574 people died and nearly 8,000 people were injured as a result of alcohol- or drug-impaired driving.

Impaired Driving Laws:

• Having a BAC of 0.08 or over within two hours of driving is a criminal offence.

• In Alberta, and in most other Canadian jurisdictions, a driver with a BAC between 0.05 and 0.079 may face provincial consequences through the Immediate Roadside Suspension Program.

• Cannabis limits are measured using nanograms of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in blood.

• There are criminal penalties for cannabis when a driver has over 2 ng/ml but less that 5ng/ml of THC in blood and when a driver has 5 ng/ml or more THC in blood.

• There are also criminal penalties for combined drug and alcohol impairment when a driver has 2.5 ng/ml or more THC combined with 50 mg/100ml or more alcohol in their blood.

To report an impaired driver, call 9-1-1.

Media Contact:

Staff Sergeant Thompson
Patrol Section
Medicine Hat Police Service

Ph: 403-529-8461