Over a 24-hour period, DRPS officers arrested seven impaired drivers including a female who fled police while her two children were inside her car.
Between 2 a.m. Thursday, October 15, 2015 and 2 a.m. this morning, officers throughout Durham Region responded to seven separate impaired driving investigations, with five of those calls being initiated by members of the public.
One of those arrested, a 34-year-old female from Lindsay, was observed by a member of the public driving erratically on Taunton Road in Clarington. A responding officer located the car on Sandy Hook Road near Highway 35. As the officer pulled up to the car, the vehicle sped away at a high rate of speed and was followed southbound onto Highway 115 until it abruptly pulled into a gas station. The female driver was arrested and only then did the officer learn that there were two young passengers in the car, aged 7 and 13, who are now in the custody of the Children’s Aid Society.
The female was charged with Impaired Operation; Exceed 80 mgs; and Fail to Stop for Police. She was later released on a Promise to Appear. Her name is withheld to protect the identity of the children.
The other six arrests involved five males and one female, ranging in age from 35 to 67 years old. A 45-year-old Oshawa male was further charged with Fail to Remain after he fled the area of Olive Avenue and Harmony Road South in Oshawa after rear-ending another car at the intersection. No serious injuries were reported.
According to 2014 statistics, DRPS officers responded to two impaired drivers on average per day.
Durham Regional Police would like to advise all motorists that drinking and driving will not be tolerated on our streets and to please choose an option such as public transit, taxi, or designated driver.
If you spot an impaired driver, call 911 immediately.
Source: Durham Regional Police Service