A rollover on South Taylor Hill is serving as a reminder to not only be mindful of icy roads, but also to keep alcohol out of the equation.

Police responded to a rollover on the notorious stretch of road at approximately 8:15 a.m. on Feb. 1 to find a blue SUV overturned in the ditch. It was reported that there was a family of four in the vehicle at the time of the accident, and they were all sent to hospital with minor injuries.

While roads were slick and conditions in the area were slightly foggy at the time of the accident, the RCMP said that alcohol was also a factor in this particular accident. The driver of the vehicle was issued an immediate roadside prohibition at the scene, but no criminal charges will be made.

The accident did not cause any traffic delays, but acted as a reminder that drinking and driving can have devastating results.

The Peace region continues to hold the trophy for one of the areas with the highest instances of impaired driving, and the RCMP said that they continue to enforce those laws through immediate roadside prohibitions for people who blow in the warning range and criminal code charges for people who blow over the legal limit.

In July, ICBC released a list of the areas with the most impaired driving charges based on postal code. Fort St John placed fourth in the province, while Dawson Creek placed third and Northeastern B.C. (rural and surrounding area) placed third and second respectively.

ICBC’s statistics were collected between April 25, 2010 and April 24 2011. They show alcohol-related suspensions were laid against 286 of the Fort St. John’s 16,806 active drivers, meaning 17.02 drivers received prohibitions for every thousand motorists. That rate is only slightly lower than Dawson Creek’s, where 19.76 out of every 1,000 motorists received prohibitions.

Sgt. Tom Woodall, the head of traffic services with the Fort St John RCMP detachment, said that the statistics are no surprise.

“I don’t have an answer for that other than the demographics do play a role. We have a lot of employment here and it’s a younger population that is gainfully employed with a lot of income,” said Woodall. “And a young crowd with high income? They work hard and they play hard.”

According to Woodall, the average ages that the RCMP see receiving impaired driving charges ranges between the early 20’s to the mid 40’s.

However, Woodall explains that the statistics show a higher level of drinking and driving in the northeastern parts of B.C. is due to the infrastructure and the region’s dependency on vehicles.

“One of the reasons for higher levels of impaired drivers being apprehended here is the infrastructure. It’s a rural area with people who drive to and from work, it’s a wide are and the infrastructure isn’t in place as it is in other places like the lower mainland for bus systems and other forms of public transit to use,” said Woodall.

Even if a drunk driver doesn’t have an accident, there are substantial penalties waiting for them if caught by police as B.C. strives to have the toughest impaired driving penalties in the country.

Depending on the level of the offense and whether or not an impaired driver has been convicted before, penalties can range from a year’s driver prohibition, a substantial monetary fine or mandatory jail time ranging from one week to one month.

The driver penalty points received during a 12-month period can also significantly impact a driver’s insurance rates. The annual premium ranges from $175 premium for 4 penalty points to a $24,000 premium for 50 or more driver penalty points. Additional penalties are assigned if a roadside suspension is issued.

“The police are doing what they can to put a stop to it, but we also need the public’s help. So if you see someone who you think is an impaired driver, get the license plate and the direction of travel and call the police,” said Woodall.

The public can report an impaired driver by calling 9-1-1 or phoning the Fort St John RCMP detachment at 250-787-8100.