Every week, members of the Weyburn Police Service hand out a number of tickets for traffic violations. These are primarily infractions of the Traffic Safety Act, but occasionally, there are some infractions that fall under the Criminal Code.  

We asked Deputy Police Chief Brent Van De Sype what some of the most common traffic infractions seen in Weyburn are.  

“You know you will get the odd cell phone infraction, undue care and attention, but the most common ones will – and will always like be – speeding and failing to stop for a traffic signal,” Van De Sype explained.  

“Intersection-related offences are probably the most common other than speeding,” he added. “Intersection-related ones would be like, failing to stop at a red light, failing to yield, failing to stop at a stop sign.” 

While these infractions under the Traffic Safety Act are common, there is also a Criminal Code violation that turns up more frequently than the police would like to see. 

“Unfortunately, impaired driving, whether by alcohol or drug, still does exist, and as you know, even one is too many,” Van De Sype said. 

During the month of December, across Saskatchewan, there were 414 impaired driving offences reported by SGI. Of those, 240 saw the driver facing charges under the Criminal Code, with another 174 drivers receiving license suspensions and vehicle impoundments. This was up from the previous December, when there were 361, and above the five-year average for December of 358. 

As for here in the Weyburn area, numbers weren’t on hand when we spoke with the Deputy Police Chief, but he pointed out that impaired driving happens at a rate they would rather not see. 

“It’s probably just as prevalent as it used to be – not as prevalent as it was 20 years ago, but I mean, in recent years it'd be just as prevalent as it has been.”