BANFF – An alleged drunk-driver is facing charges after crashing into vehicles belonging to crews working on a major water main break on Banff Avenue.
Banff RCMP say they received multiple reports of an erratic driver and vehicle collision at about 7:50 p.m. on Jan. 11 on Banff Avenue.
Police say no one was injured, but a 28-year-old man is facing multiple criminal code and provincial charges.
“Officers attended and determined that the suspect vehicle had struck two vehicles, one of which was a Town of Banff pickup truck,” said Cpl. Gina Slaney, an RCMP public information officer in a news release.
“Both vehicles sustained minor damage.”
Utility and fire department crews continued to work tirelessly throughout the day and night following a major water main break on Banff Avenue near Moose street early Thursday morning (Jan. 11), which created a sheet of ice on the roadways.
Both northbound and southbound lanes of Banff Avenue reopened Thursday, but Moose Street remains closed to vehicles and pedestrians between Banff Avenue and Beaver Street.
Crews were laying down sand and working to remove the ice. The Town urged people to drive with extreme caution around workers and on the icy roadway.
Banff’s fire department was out delivering water bottles to residents in Alpine Apartments, which had no water service while crews excavate and repair the water main.
Meanwhile, Banff RCMP is leading the charge in drunk driving enforcement in southern Alberta, accounting for 26 per cent of 394 roadside suspension tickets in 2023.
Following in the steps of B.C. and Manitoba, Alberta has had stricter laws for impaired driving, including immediate roadside sanctions, since 2020.
First time offenders don’t necessarily face criminal charges, but face fines of up to $1,500, and can have their vehicle seized and impounded for a month.
With repeat driving-under-the-influence offences showing a pattern of high-risk driving behaviour, the penalties escalate with each occurrence.
There are also compulsory education programs and mandatory ignition interlock for repeat offenders.
Criminal charges can still be laid against repeat offenders or for serious incidents resulting in injury or death.
Last year, two Banff RCMP members received the Cpl. Cumming’s Watch award, an initiative between Alberta RCMP and Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) Canada to support police efforts in the detection and removal of impaired drivers on Alberta roads.
The program is named in honour of Cpl. Graeme Cumming, a member of the RCMP who was killed on duty by an impaired driver while attending a traffic incident on Highway 3 near Lethbridge on Aug. 12, 1998.
Const. David Little of the Banff detachment and Const. Reyno La Cock of Bow Valley Traffic Services both qualified for the silver award in 2022 and again in 2023.
