With the arrival of good weather this past weekend, the Port Alberni RCMP are seeing an increase in the number of traffic-related incidents.
Calls ranged from impaired drivers to erratic driving, as well as three collisions on the roadway and one boat collision on Sproat Lake.
On Saturday afternoon, police responded to a motorcycle crash on Highway 4 near the rest area at the end of Sproat Lake. A motorcycle was legally passing a slow-moving car, when the driver of the car suddenly made a left turn without signaling. The motorcyclist was able to avoid hitting the car with a hard application of the brakes, which caused him to flip over his bike and land on the roadway.
The motorcyclist, a 67-year-old Port Alberni resident, was transported to hospital for treatment of serious but non-life-threatening injuries. The investigation into the crash is still ongoing.
Later that afternoon, police received a report of a Toyota Yaris operating in a dangerous manner as it travelled along Highway 4 over the Hump into Port Alberni. The driver, a 29-year-old Nanaimo woman, was stopped on Redford Street and found to be impaired. She was issued a 90-day driving prohibition along with a 30-day vehicle impoundment.
On Saturday night, police received a report of a possible impaired driver in the 5100 block of River Road. Police located the vehicle on Eighth Avenue where the driver, a 49-year-old Port Alberni man, was found to be intoxicated and was issued a driving prohibition.
At midnight on Sunday morning, police pulled over a car after it was found speeding and crossing the centre line along River Road. The driver, a 31-year-old Port Alberni man, was found to be impaired and was issued a three-day driving prohibition, a vehicle impoundment and two violation tickets.
Half an hour later, police pulled over a pickup truck that was operating erratically on Beaver Creek Road. The driver, a 61-year-old Port Alberni man, was found to be impaired and was issued a 90-day driving prohibition along with a 30-day vehicle impoundment.
On Sunday afternoon, a youth on a scooter collided with a passing vehicle in the 4400 block of Lathom Road. The youth rode his scooter out onto the street, but failed to check for oncoming traffic and rode his scooter into the side of a passing vehicle. The driver of the SUV took evasive action to attempt to avoid the collision, but didn’t see the youth as he came out in front of a parked truck.
Fortunately, the youth only received a scratch on his arm from the collision.
Later that afternoon, RCMP responded to a boat collision on Sproat Lake. Police attended to find the motorboat had crashed on the rocks and was completely out of the water. The vessel operator, a 59-year-old Port Alberni man, has been charged with impaired operation of a vessel. The boat sustained significant structural damage, but no one was injured in the crash.
The Port Alberni RCMP are now warning the public against impaired driving.
“In addition, all pedestrians and cyclists need to ensure that they take time to look both ways before crossing the road and to do so at a crosswalk,” said Port Alberni RCMP Cpl. Amelia Hayden. “Unfortunately, too many people are making poor choices when it comes to driving on our area highways—potentially putting so many others, as well as themselves, at risk. The police continue to be on our streets, highways and waterways, enforcing the law.”