While COVID-19 has changed the way a number of things are done, one thing that won’t change is the annual holiday road check program.

ICBC and BC RCMP say the CounterAttack road check campaign will begin tomorrow night, Nov. 27, and last into the new year.

“We know celebrations will look different this holiday season,” said Lindsay Matthews, ICBC’s vice-president of public affairs and driver licensing.

“If you’ve been drinking at home, please stay home and don’t drive. When you drink and drive, you not only risk your life but those of others on the road. We all need to do our part to prevent crashes and save lives. If you plan to drink, plan ahead.”

In October, Operation Red Nose announced it would not be running its safe-ride service in Kamloops this December because of COVID-19.

ICBC says 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.

“We fully support our road safety partners and the CounterAttack campaign and will be out in force over the holiday season to deter impaired driving,” said BC RCMP Traffic Services Superintendent Holly Turton.

“Police will utilize mandatory alcohol screening, Standardized Field Sobriety Testing and Drug Recognition Experts to identify and remove alcohol and drug affected drivers from our roads to make B.C.’s roads some of the safest in the world.”

ICBC says on average 23 people on average are killed by an impaired driver in the Southern Interior each year. In both the Lower Mainland and North Central B.C. an average of 17 people are killed each year, while on Vancouver Island that number is 11 drivers.

(Photo via ICBC)

Impaired driving in B.C. (ICBC)