It’s the return of ‘Ask a Cop’ with Halton Regional Police Service (HRPS) Constable Ryan Anderson.
Listeners and readers submit questions to be answered by Constable Anderson. This week, a resident wanted to know how to report a traffic concern or complaint, as well as dangerous or impaired driving.
This is a frequently asked question, says Constable Anderson. There are two common ways of dealing with a traffic complaint or concern. The more common one is filing a Traffic Concern Report.
Just click here and file a Traffic Concern Report. It will be sent off to the Halton Police Traffic Unit. Anderson says each report is looked into, and stresses the importance of providing as much detail as possible. That includes what you’re seeing and when you’re seeing it.
He does warn that some spots are hard to remain inconspicuous. Officers want to blend into the area so that they don’t temporarily impact the behaviours around them. They want to monitor the area as best as possible and that includes motorists not necessarily knowing they’re there.
If the Halton Police deems the area to be a problem, officers will routinely return to monitor the area to help establish better habits among motorists.
The other types of submission you can do is called a Road Watch Report.
This comes if you notice a motorist is driving dangerously and you want to report their car. The Road Watch form can be found here.
He adds that if this is an emergency situation, such as you suspecting that someone on the road is impaired, then should call 911. Constable Anderson says that he knows some residents feel like they’re bothering the police by calling 911 if the driver isn’t confirmed to be impaired. He wants those people to know that officers would rather check and find the driver unimpaired than the opposite.
Here are some signs of an impaired driver provided by the Halton Police:
- Driving unreasonably fast, slow or at an inconsistent speed;
- Drifting in and out of lanes;
- Tailgating and changing lanes frequently;
- Making exceptionally wide turns;
- Changing lanes or passing without sufficient clearance;
- Overshooting or stopping well before stop signs or stop lights;
- Disregarding signals and lights;
- Approaching signals or leaving intersections too quickly or slowly;
- Driving without headlights, failing to lower high beams or leaving turn signals on; and,
- Driving with windows open in cold or inclement weather.
Remember, driving under the influence is considered a crime in progress. Call 9-1-1 if you suspect that someone on the road is driving impaired.
Impaired driving was also covered on an ‘Ask a Cop’ segment with Halton Police Constable Ryan Anderson. Read that here.
‘Ask a Cop’ will return next week with more of your questions being answered.
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