With the holiday season now in the rearview mirror, so to is the RCMP's 2016 Holiday Checkstop campaign.

Portage la Prairie RCMP released statistics from the December blitz in the Central Plains region – which includes the Amaranth and Treherne detachments.

In all, 26 Checkstops occurred, resulting in 863 vehicles checked. Police collected blood alcohol level readings from 570 drivers, leading to three drivers charged due to alcohol impaired driving, two drivers charged from drug impaired driving and four alcohol-related 72-hour administrative license suspensions.

“The focus point of the initiative was to get impaired drivers off the road,” RCMP community liaison officer Const. Sean O'Keefe says. “But it was also used to ensure that the roads around our area were a little safer over the holiday season.”

“In the months leading up to December, we had a lot of fatalities on the highways (across the province),” O'Keefe continues. “Fortunately in the Central Plains area we were able to escape any further fatalities. Whether that was due to the Checkstops, or whether it was due to people doing the right thing like calling for a ride or using Operation Red Nose.”

In addition, police issued 347 Highway Traffic Act (HTA) tickets during the 2016 Holiday Checkstop campaign. Those were in relation to speeding, failing to properly wear a seatbelt, failing to obey traffic control devices, distracted driving and passing emergency vehicles at high rates of speed. Sixteen written warnings were issued in relation to HTA offences, and 8 drivers were charged under the Criminal Code of Canada.