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York Region Police charge 21 drivers with impaired driving - in one week

That makes it 1,600 people charged this year and seven fatalities
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York Regional Police impound a vehicle Nov. 29 whose driver was arrested for impaired over 80. York Regional Police photo/Twitter

NEWS RELEASE
YORK REGIONAL POLICE
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Over the past week, 21 impaired drivers were removed from York Region roads in another disappointing week of enforcement efforts.

So far this year, York Regional Police have laid more than 1,600 charges for impaired-related driving offences and the number of drivers choosing to drive while impaired is showing no signs of decreasing.

Sadly, seven people have lost their lives this year in collisions where alcohol or drug impairment were contributing factors.

On Friday, Dec. 21, 2018, at approximately 11:25 p.m., officers responded to reports of a collision on the Highway 7 off-ramp at Bayview Avenue in Richmond Hill, where they learned that the suspect vehicle had been involved in three separate collisions. The suspect vehicle, a silver Kia Forte, had been driving west on Highway 7 at a high rate of speed and collided with a vehicle near Leslie Street.

The vehicle fled the scene and collided with a second vehicle near Valleymede Drive and again, the suspect failed to remain at the scene. The vehicle continued on Highway 7, drove over the median at the Bayview Avenue off-ramp and collided with a third vehicle before mounting a curb and coming to a stop.

Officers arrived and arrested the suspect for impaired driving. The driver of the third vehicle hit by the suspect was a woman who is 8 months pregnant. She received medical treatment but, fortunately, her injuries were not severe.

  • Charged: Sunny Patel, 24, from the Town of Richmond Hill
  • Charges: Impaired, operation over 80, dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, fail to remain x2

A list of all the drivers charged with impaired-related criminal driving offences from Dec. 17 to Dec. 24, 2018 is available for viewing at this link.

The legal consequences of an impaired driving charge can include roadside vehicle impoundment and automatic driver’s licence suspension, as well as further consequences imposed by the courts, including longer licence suspensions, large fines and in some cases, jail time.

York Regional Police thanks members of the community for helping us stop and arrest impaired drivers by calling 9-1-1 through the Safe Roads...Your Call program. We consider these incidents a life-threatening crime in progress and will continue to respond to these calls.

We’re not giving up.

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