THUNDER BAY — The Thunder Bay Police Service is reporting some disappointing results from the opening weekend of this year's Festive RIDE check program.
Between Friday and Sunday, TBPS officers charged six people with impaired driving, including one after a particularly serious incident in the Carrick Street and Harbour Expressway area.
Just after 2 a.m. Sunday, an officer conducting impaired driving enforcement observed an SUV stopped at the traffic lights at Carrick and Central Avenue.
The motorist then turned onto Carrick where he rapidly accelerated — reaching a speed of 91 kilometres per hour — before turning west onto the Harbour Expressway.
Although the posted limit there is 70 km/h, the SUV was clocked travelling up to 134 km/h.
After he was pulled over at the Harbour Expressway and Golf Links Road, the driver exhibited multiple signs of impairment.
The 23-year-old man faces several charges including dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, stunt driving and impaired driving.
Over the weekend, officers also encountered a driver who continued to drive after having had a collision.
He was pulled over just after 1 a.m. Saturday on James Street South because his pickup truck was damaged and had only one working headlight.
When he was informed about the headlight issue, he told the officers he was already aware of it as he had collided with a snowbank earlier in the night.
The man was taken to police headquarters for evaluation by the TBPS drug recognition expert, who determined he was impaired by a drug.
