About 300 people have been arrested for driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol since last November as part of Operation VACCIN, a 50% decrease compared to the same period last year.
1,087 police operations have been carried out across Quebec since November 30th, which co-incides with the beginning of the operation (more or less the same number as last year according to the Sûreté du Québec). The goal was to determine the impaired driving capacity of motorists caused by alcohol or drugs. Tens of thousands of drivers were stopped as part of these roadside checks.
This first assessment of the operation was drawn up Friday by the Sûreté du Québec.
Operation VACCIN is to continue through the holidays until January 3, 2018.
It is organized in partnership with the Association of Quebec Police Directors, the SQ, SPVM, and the Société de l'assurance automobile du Québec.
Drunk driving remains one of the leading causes of accidents in Quebec. From 2011 to 2015, alcohol-related accidents resulted in an average of 130 deaths, 310 serious injuries and 1,800 minor injuries each year.