Fifty-one police officers from the communities across Vancouver Island were honoured by the BCAA Road Safety Foundation on May 25 as members of Alexa’’s Team 2010 in recognition for their diligence in removing impaired drivers from the roads of our community. Membership on Alexa’s Team recognizes police officers, both RCMP and municipal police, that have forwarded to Crown a minimum of 10 full impaired driving charges and/or issued 90-Day Driving Prohibitions under the new Immediate Roadside Prohibition sanctions. In addition, these members have issued thousands of 24-Hour, three-day and seven-day Driving Prohibitions in 2010. Since Alexa’s Team was formed three years ago, the member officers have removed 18,810 drivers from the roads of B.C. whose ability to operate a motor vehicle safely was affected by alcohol or drugs. Alexa’s Team was formed in remembrance of Alexa Renée Middelaer who lost her life in May 2008 at age four and a half after being run down by a vehicle driven by an impaired driver. Alexa’s aunt was standing with her at the side of the horse paddock at the time of the crash and continues to recover from life threatening injuries. A 56-year old woman from Delta has since been convicted of two counts of impaired driving causing bodily harm and death and two counts of dangerous driving causing bodily harm and death. Approximately 150 people are killed each year in B.C. at the hands of impaired drivers. Many more suffer the loss of their loved ones for the rest of their lives.” said Inspector Ted Emanuels, Operations Officer for the RCMP Lower Mainland District Traffic Services, “The members of Alexa’s Team are dedicated traffic, general duty and patrol officers from throughout B.C. who have made the reduction of impaired driving fatalities and injuries a personal challenge. They continue to demonstrate a commitment to removing both alcohol and drug impaired drivers from our roadways to make B.C. a safer place for all of us.” “Knowing that impaired driving is the number one cause of criminal death in B.C., knowing that on average two British Columbians die each week due to impaired driving, and knowing that this is how our four year old daughter was killed is almost unbelievable, and I am sure that everyone reading this would concur,” said Laurel Middelaer, the mother of four-year old Alexa. “There are hundreds of families in B.C. that share our experience. As a family we choose to look for solutions. We are working with others to make this province and this country safer.” The Middelaer family, along with the BCAA Road Safety Foundation and Surrey City Mayor Dianne Watts recently kicked of the Alexa’s Bus campaign with an initial goal of raising $250,000 to bring a mobile impaired driving testing unit to B.C. Like Alexa’s Team, Alexa’s Bus is another means to deter impaired drivers through education or enforcement,” said Allan Lamb, executive director of the BCAA Road Safety Foundation. Lamb noted that significantly more people die in traffic crashes than as a result of all homicides and murders, and that the majority of impaired drivers who are over the .08 legal limit come from licenced premises. Lamb also cited Transport Canada statistics that show impaired drivers cost the B.C. economy $1.6 billion per year, primarily health, police and court costs. Since 2008 the BCAA Road Safety Foundation has honoured 419 officers from around the province. In the past three years the members of Alexa’s Team have removed over 18,000 alcohol and/or drug impaired drivers from British Columbia’s roadways. Alexa’s Team members representing Campbell River / Courtenay:
- Const. Dave Dormuth – Campbell River RCMP
- Const. Mark Blacklock – Campbell River RCMP
- Const. Andy Phillips – Campbell River RCMP
- Cpl. Glenn Price – Campbell River RCMP
- Const. Laura Bouwman – Campbell River RCMP
- Const. Norm Weihs – North Island Traffict
- Const. William McSeveney – North Island Traffic
- Const. Travis Draper – North Island Traffic