Date: November 5, 2020
File: 20-25421
On November 4, 2020 at 4:20 p.m. the Saanich Police received a report of a vehicle driving in the oncoming lanes of Interurban Road near Hector Road. While the officers were heading to the area, a witness reported that the vehicle had just crashed in the 5500 block of West Saanich Road.
The driver was not injured in the collision, which saw the vehicle cross the southbound lanes, veer off the road, uproot a BC Transit bus post, and crash into a fence on the Interurban Rail Trail. Fortunately, there were no pedestrians or cyclists on that part of the trail at the time the collision.
Officers on scene conducted a roadside screening test for alcohol, which the driver failed. The driver was then arrested and taken back to the Saanich Police Department, where breath testing was conducted which showed a blood-alcohol concentration of more than double the legal limit.
A 59-year-old woman has been charged with impaired operation of a motor vehicle as well as operating a motor vehicle while her blood alcohol exceeded 80 milligrams.
“We would like to thank the public for reporting this driver to us in a timely manner. As this took place during the evening commute, and in poor weather conditions, this incident posed serious safety risks to other motorists, pedestrians and cyclists.”
Cst. Markus Anastasiades
Public Information and Communications Officer