Drivers along Highway 642 in the Alexander First Nation on Friday evening received a holiday treat instead of a ticket from police.
The mantra of many of the emergency services workers who set up the educational checkstop was "one is too many."
No impaired drivers were stopped as a result of the checkstop, but enforcement was a secondary consideration.
Alexander fire chief Wyatt Arcand said he wanted to host a checkstop to bring awareness to the issue of drunk driving, but also of road safety in general, with the support of partner agencies including police, EMS, Alberta Transportation and MADD.
"Candy Cane Checkstops are primarily educational, to build support in the community," RCMP Const. Gord Buck said. "We're just here to help prevent the drunk driving epidemic that's rampant in Canada, Alberta, and in this region."
Brenda Johnson, the president of MADD Parkland and a member of the national board of directors, said people are generally supportive of the stops.
"After they get over their initial fear of, "Oh my God it's a checkstop and why are you here,' they're very thankful we're out there asking them to stay safe over the holidays," she said.
Dale Friedel, a regional traffic safety consultant with Alberta Transportation, said this kind of reaction is one they get throughout the province when doing the public awareness checkstops.
"Very seldom you get a negative reaction," he said. "There's a lot of support. Most people don't drink and drive."
He emphasized impaired driving is not just a matter of having too many drinks, but could also include factors like drugs, fatigue, or being distracted.
"All of those are forms of impaired driving," he said.
With an average of about 80 deaths and 1,250 injuries associated with drunk driving every year in Alberta alone, Friedel said it's crucial to make sure people know the dangers of impaired driving.
School bus safety
Arcand said while impaired driving awareness was a large motivation for hosting the Friday evening checkstop, he also wanted to draw attention to another safety issue that's causing concern for officials on the First Nation.
Too many drivers are passing school buses that are stopped on the highway and have their lights on, indicating a child may be crossing the road.
"We've had 17 near-misses this year, and it's only December," he said.
Floyd Arcand, the transportation supervisor for the Alexander Education Department, said drivers are now writing down licence plate numbers and reporting vehicles to police every time it happens.
"You don't want to do it, but something has to be done. Nobody wants a kid to get hurt," he said. "Thankfully we haven't had any bad incidents, but when vehicles pass you with the red lights, you never know what might happen."
Wyatt Arcand said, in general, he'd like to see people slowing down on the highway that passes right through the community. Many of the biggest culprits are simply passing through on the public highway, he said.
"Guys blow through here at 70 or 80, thinking it's a raceway," he said. "I saw one motorcycle come through here in the summer, it must have been going 200."
