Police check out more than 3,500 vehicles at Chamberlain check stop

Chamberlain was a hotbed of activity earlier this week.

Combined Traffic Services Saskatchewan (CTSS) staged a check stop in the town from Tuesday through Thursday. In a release Friday, the RCMP said between 3,500 and 4,000 vehicles were stopped.

Unsafe vehicles, vehicles improperly towing recreational items, and impaired drivers were the focus of the check stop, which was held in the days leading up to the Country Thunder music festival in Craven.

“It’s summertime, people are travelling more and our focus continues to be on road safety,” Cpl. Ray Bouchard of CTSS said in a media release.

“We’re here to help make sure the roads that everyone travels on are safe (and) not ruin travel plans — which is why a great number of safety violations identified were easily rectified through driver education or adjustments to towing equipment.

“There were a large number of drivers inexperienced in towing trailers or campers. Many drivers had someone else connect their trailer or camper to their towing vehicle and were completely unaware of how to do it themselves, regardless if it was correct or not.”

The Mounties’ release said officers issued 17 suspensions for cannabis use, one suspension for cocaine use, and four roadside driving suspensions for alcohol, and called for 37 vehicle inspections.

Four people were arrested on outstanding warrants, eight suspended drivers were stopped, 22 vehicles were impounded as a result of impaired driving, four child car seats were given out through an SGI grant after 44 child car seat inspections were done, and 85 vehicles were taken out of service for equipment violations.

There also were 918 warnings issued and 104 tickets were handed out for various other offences.

The check stops were held between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. on Tuesday and 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday.

(RCMP/Submitted)