Police say that a citizen made a smart call when he called in an impaired driver in Vaughan Tuesday morning. The driver was found to have more than five times the legal limit of alcohol in his blood and was charged with Impaired Operation.
According to York police, on Tuesday at 10 a.m., officers received a call from an alert citizen who reported an impaired driver traveling southbound on Highway 400. The caller observed a black Honda CRV being driven with its turn signal flashing and saw it sideswipe concrete barriers at the side of the road multiple times before it pulled in to a service station parking lot. A #4 District officer arrived several minutes later and found the vehicle parked in the lot with its engine running and passenger-side door open. The driver and front-seat passenger were both asleep. The officer then spoke with the driver, who showed signs of being impaired by alcohol.
The driver was found to have a blood-alcohol concentration (BAC) more than five times the legal limit and the second-highest BAC recorded since York Regional Police (YRP) began tracking these statistics, according to a YRP news report.
Due to the extremely high level of intoxication, the male was transported to a hospital for assessment where he was seen by a doctor and then released.
A 53-year-old man from Tecumseth was charged with Impaired Operation and Impaired Operation with Blood-Alcohol Concentration 80 Plus. His driver’s licence has been suspended for 90 days and the vehicle he was driving was impounded for seven days.
A video clip of the interaction between the impaired driver and York police officer can be seen below.
Our Safe Roads… Your Call program encourages motorists in York Region to call 9-1-1 immediately if they see a motorist they suspect may be impaired, which is considered a crime in progress. That call may save a life or prevent a serious injury.