Alberta RCMP plan 'checkstop blitz' to find impaired drivers

Hundreds of Mounties, municipal police officers and provincial sheriffs will hit the highways this weekend to conduct roadside checkstops looking for impaired drivers.

The blitz is meantto send themessage that police will be on the roads throughout the holiday season, RCMP said in a press release.

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Calgary police officers were pulling over drivers Friday night as part of the province-wide effort.

"We're kicking off the annual checkstop program," said Sgt. Jon James. "Tonight we are out in full force."

"We'd like it if every single person who came through here was sober, but we know that is not the reality. We will most likely end up charging quite a few people tonight with impaired driving, unfortunately."

Mothers Against Drunk Driving Canada volunteers helped officers by handing outinformation packages.

"Go out and have fun at your holiday parties but plan ahead and know how you are getting home,"said Tracy Franklin.

"That's going to make a huge difference in whether you are involved in a crash or get home safe, or another family gets injured or killed because somebody is out there driving impared."

This weekend's checkstops will run throughout Saturday and intoSundaymorning. Some of will be mobile, moving locations to cover as much of the province as possible.

The Alberta RCMP and sheriffs have issued more than 1,600roadside licence suspensions for impaired driving so far in 2016.

In the province, 11 people have been charged with impaired operation of a motor vehicle causing death and another 29 charged with impaired operation of a motor vehicle causing bodily harm.

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