Surrey Police Service (SPS) is joining its policing partners across the province in supporting this year’s “Light Up The Province” provincial CounterAttack campaign.

Led by SPS’s Road Safety Section, SPS will have specially trained officers at roving road checks throughout Surrey in the month of December to take drug and alcohol impaired drivers off the road. If you are stopped at a CounterAttack location, you may be asked to show your driver’s licence and participate in a mandatory roadside test.

“The start of December means a lot of people will be going out to social functions and celebrations where drugs and alcohol may be consumed,” says Staff Sergeant Lindsey Houghton, SPS Senior Media Relations Officer. “While the vast majority of drivers are responsible and plan ahead if they consume drugs or alcohol, unfortunately some still get behind the wheel and drive. That choice puts lives at risk. Impaired driving-related collisions are preventable and yet still result in a significant number of injuries and fatalities. Surrey Police Service will be taking a zero-tolerance approach with anyone who drives while impaired.”

SPS is releasing an educational video highlighting its impaired driving efforts this coming holiday season: 2024 SPS Holiday CounterAttack Video.

Between January 1, 2024 and November 30, 2024, SPS and Surrey RCMP officers took 814 impaired drivers off of Surrey roads. In the same time period, there were also 103 impaired driving-related collisions in Surrey, compared with 158 in 2023. Twelve of the collisions in 2024 resulted in injuries with one impaired driving-related fatality.

Police in British Columbia have the authority to immediately suspend an impaired driver’s licence from 12 hours to 90 days, depending on the person’s level of impairment and driving record. Vehicles could be impounded for up to 30 days. Serious cases can result in longer driving suspensions and even criminal charges.

Anyone who suspects they see an impaired driver should call 9-1-1 immediately.

Backgrounder

“Light Up The Province” is an annual province-wide CounterAttack program for the holiday season, led by the RCMP’s BC Highway Patrol and involving numerous partner police agencies, Mothers Against Drunk Driving Canada (MADD), Families for Justice, the Insurance Corporation of British Columba (ICBC), and various volunteer organizations. CounterAttack campaigns have been running in British Columbia for almost 40 years.