NEWS RELEASE
YORK REGIONAL POLICE
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A 38-year-old man from Vaughan has been charged with impaired driving and 80 plus after he attempted to pick up his children from school [allegedly] while intoxicated.
This incident comes almost four years to the day after the impaired driving collision that claimed the lives of Daniel, Milly, Harrison Neville-Lake and their grandfather Gary Neville. Despite these tragic deaths, and the deaths and injuries that have followed, the number of impaired-related criminal driving charges being laid in York Region annually continues to rise.
On Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2019 shortly after 5 p.m., a call was placed to 9-1-1 from a concerned citizen who reported that a father had attempted to pick up his young children from a school in Vaughan but staff would not allow the kids to get into the vehicle because he appeared to be drunk. The man drove away from the school and a short time later, officers located him and his vehicle at his residence. He was placed under arrest for impaired driving and was transported to #2 District Headquarters for a breath test, where he blew more than twice the legal limit for alcohol.
“I am truly at a loss to understand how drivers continue to make the stupid and dangerous decision to drive while impaired, either by alcohol or drugs,” said Chief Eric Jolliffe. “Our officers see this every single day. These selfish choices put our entire community at risk, including young children, as we have seen in this case. Despite the fact our message does not seem to be getting through, York Regional Police is not giving up. We will continue to fight this fight and we appreciate the vigilance of the community in alerting us to suspected impaired drivers. If you see a suspected impaired driver, at any time of the day or night, call 9-1-1 immediately. If found to be impaired, these drivers will be removed from our roads and prosecuted to the full extent of the law.”
Each year, more than 5,000 people call 9-1-1 to report impaired driving each year. So far in 2019, more than 4,200 calls to 9-1-1 have helped to safely remove impaired drivers from our roads, which has led to more than 1,290 impaired-related criminal charges being laid.
However, since the horrific Neville-Lake crash on Sept. 27, 2015, the number of impaired-related criminal charges laid each year has not gone down:
• 2016: 1,636
• 2017: 1,649
• 2018: 1,654
• 2019 year to date: 1,295
York Regional Police is continuing the fight against impaired driving through enforcement and education, but the greatest impact in improving road safety comes from the partnership of our citizens and road users. Safe Roads: Your Call encourages citizens to call 9-1-1 if they suspect an impaired driver. We consider these incidents life- threatening crimes in progress and will respond to these calls. Together, we can make our roads and communities safer.
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