SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
The festivities and gatherings that come with any long weekend might lead one to expect a spike in impaired driving offenses, but that wasn't the case in Yellowknife last weekend despite numerous motor vehicle offenses reported.

RCMP traffic services – some of them up from Hay River – spent Labour Day weekend conducting "enhanced enforcement" throughout Yellowknife and along the Ingraham Trail, resulting in 60 charges laid under the Motor Vehicles Act.

While only one of these charges was for impaired driving, "upwards of 12" infractions were related to distracted driving or use of restricted electronic devices, such as cellphones, while driving.

"It's a traffic pattern that's dangerous and a habit that people are into now. That was probably one of the most disturbing things now," said Cpl. Todd Scaplen of the force's G division traffic services.

The penalty for distracted driving is $322, which almost tripled last year as part of a Department of Transportation initiative to make NWT communities safer by tackling distracted driving.

"Even though we had one impaired driver over the long weekend, it's still discouraging to see that that's another pattern that's not stopping," said Scaplen.

There were also some small seizures of marijuana and one person charged with possession of cocaine but Scaplen said the overall number of charges laid (which included speeding tickets) was to be expected.

"I would say considering the assets and resources we were doing in Yellowknife, it was a typical showing of infractions," he said.

"I'm not surprised by any of the numbers."

Scaplen said data from the weekend operation were not collected for comparative purposes with previous years.

He said his department's next major initiative is the RCMP's national "Operation Impact" campaign, which focuses on safe driving over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.

We welcome your opinions. Click here to e-mail a letter to the editor.