By Ashley Legassic

Kamloops holiday Counter Attack kicks off this weekend

Nov 21, 2018 | 9:44 AM

KAMLOOPS — Drivers in Kamloops will start to see a lot more police roadblocks beginning this weekend.

Kamloops RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Jodi Shelkie says the detachment is kicking off Counter Attack for the holiday season, in an effort to reduce impaired driving.

More roadblocks than usual will be set up in and around the city starting this weekend, and Shelkie says although the detachment has always looked out for cannabis-impaired drivers, they’ll be more sensitive to it this year due to the recent legalization of marijuana.

“It’s always been a concern, people smoking cannabis and driving, and we’ve always been stopping people who have been smoking cannabis and driving, and proceeding accordingly,” Shelkie says. “But now that it is legal, yes we definitely will be on the lookout for that more and we’ll take that into consideration during our roadblocks.”

Shelkie is warning people to obey the rules of the road and find a safe way home from holiday parties, but also every night of the year.

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“Getting stopped by the police is always an inconvenience at that moment and then later if you get your vehicle towed, if you get fined — which is quite a bit of money if you get an Immediate Roadside Suspension — you get your vehicle impounded and of course you could be charged criminally,” Shelkie says. “But that’s nothing compared to the fact that if you’re driving while impaired you could seriously injure or even kill somebody and the fault is yours.

“So it really pays to think about having a plan when you go out, if you know that you’re going to be drinking or using any kinds of drugs, that you have a way to get home that’s safe, keeps yourself safe, and keeps the rest of the population safe as well.”