Guelph police arrested seven motorists for impaired driving over the weekend, including one who was trying to pick up a friend who had been involved in a collision while impaired.
Just after 4 p.m. Sunday, police were called to a collision on Stone Road West near the Hanlon Expressway. Investigation revealed a vehicle was driving on the wrong side of the road when it collided head-on with another vehicle. One of the drivers sustained moderate injuries and was transported to hospital.
Officers spoke to the other driver, who was showing signs of impairment. He was arrested and taken to the police station, where testing confirmed he had more than the legal amount of alcohol in his system.
While officers were on scene at the collision, another motorist attempted to drive around a stopped firetruck by entering oncoming traffic. Officers spoke to the driver and learned he was a friend of the man under arrest and had been contacted to pick him up.
The friend had an odour of alcoholic beverage on his breath and was arrested after failing a roadside test. Further testing at the police station confirmed he also had more than the legal limit of alcohol in his system.
A 48-year-old Guelph man and a 24-year-old Guelph man are both charged with impaired driving. Both lost their licences for 90 days and saw their vehicles impounded for seven days. Both were released with January court dates.
Also this weekend, two drivers were arrested for impaired driving during a RIDE spot check Saturday night and three more were arrested in unrelated incidents. In one of those incidents, three males escaped injury after a vehicle left the road and collided with a tree.
Police were called at 12:50 a.m. Saturday to Victoria Road North and Drummond Place, where a BMW SUV went off the road and hit a tree, demolishing the vehicle. The driver and two passengers were unhurt. Officers spoke to the driver, who had an odour of alcoholic beverage on his breath and was showing signs of impairment.
He was arrested and transported to hospital where tests confirmed he had more than the legal limit of alcohol in his system. A 32-year-old Guelph man is charged with impaired driving.
