Kamloops RCMP say police officers took six impaired drivers off the road in the city over the course of last week.

Sgt. Darren Michels says five of the drivers were impaired by alcohol while the other was impaired by drugs.

“With the current COVID-19 restrictions limiting our visitors and travel we are optimistic that everyone will be home safe with their families during this holiday season,” he said.

“If you are required to drive and have been consuming please consider making the responsible choice of not getting behind the wheel.”

The annual CounterAttack road check campaign got underway on Nov. 27, and will last into the new year. Data from ICBC shows an 67 people are killed an average each year because of impaired driving with more than half of impaired-related crashes – 56 per cent of the total – occurring on weekends.

“Impaired drivers can cause an irreparable damage to innocent members of our community, and this is all completely avoidable with just a little planning and common sense,” Michels added. “The Kamloops Traffic Section will continue to do road checks throughout the holiday and we’re hoping that all we’ll be doing is wishing you safe travels and a Happy Holidays when we meet you.”

Michels adds police also took a prohibited driver and an unlicensed driver off the road in Kamloops, while also issuing 10 other unspecified violation tickets during those traffic stops last week.