Prince George, B.C. – Watch your speed if you plan on doing some serious driving this May long weekend.

“This weekend may be the traditional start of vacation season, but it’s also the start of our summer enforcement season,” warns Cst. Melissa Wutke, spokesperson for BC RCMP Traffic Services. “Speed is still the leading cause of car crash fatalities in B.C. and speed is involved in 94 deaths, on average, across BC each year.”

Photo courtesy BC RCMP

She says police handed out 1,034 speeding tickets during last year’s May long weekend  on B.C. highways and notes 143 of those tickets were for excessive speed.

Of those tickets last year, Wutke says there were 113 alcohol and drug infractions – including 45 drivers who were handed 90-day IRPs (Immediate Roadside Prohibitions) for failing a roadside impaired driving test.

She says another 76 tickets were issued for use of an electronic device (distracted driving) and another 34 tickets were issued for unsafe passing.