At midnight on Sunday, October 29, the paramedics on Bowen informed the RCMP of a vehicle that drove over an embankment on Charlie’s Lane. Both driver and passenger were injured in the crash and taken to the hospital by water taxi.
“Constable Chris Coulter escorted them to the hospital and demanded blood samples for alcohol analysis,” says Cpl Paulo Arreaga. “Both driver and passenger have now been released from hospital, but it the severity and long-term impact of their injuries is unclear. The vehicle is un-drivable.”
Arreaga says that in 2016, the RCMP charged 11 people on Bowen Island with impaired driving. This year they’ve already charged 15.
“I believe the number has gone up because we’ve increased the number of patrols and roadblocks,” says Arreaga. “Really, most people are very cautious about drinking and driving and choose to get a ride or call the Bowen Taxi Service. There’s just too much to lose by being charged with impaired driving when you live in a car-dependent community. Still though, people make bad decisions, and the people around them allow that to happen.”
Arreaga is urging Bowen Islanders to call 9-11 if they see what they believe to be an impaired driver.
“Just get the license plate and the direction the car is traveling in,” he says, adding that the RCMP will be stepping up their roadblocks even more as the holiday season approaches.
