Earlier this week, on March 17 and 18, Halton Police booked seven individuals for impaired driving due to complaints by citizens and stop sign checks.

On March 17, the police arrested five people in various instances of auto accidents.

Nikita Belach,28, hailing from Toronto, was arrested after a complaint was received in Main Street East and Martin Street in Milton. She was booked for her failure to comply with the demand.

The police officers conducted a traffic stop in the area of Upper Middle Road and Ford Drive in Oakville, leading to 30-year-old Tyler Zeppieri of Brampton being charged with operating a vehicle while drunk.

Another traffic stop was conducted on Speers Road and Morden Road in Oakville. Robert Deschamps, 51, of Port Colborne, was also charged with drunk driving.

Responding to a citizen-initiated complaint due to impaired driving, the police arrested 39-year-old Patrick O’Sullivan of Burlington in the area of Longmoor Drive and Stephanie Street.

In the Sixth Line and Hays Boulevard area in Oakville, 38-year-old Annand Parmachand was arrested for driving under the influence.

On March 18, police officials responded to two citizen-initiated complaints in Burlington and Oakville. In Maple Avenue and Fairview Street, 44-year-old Steven Pruchnicki of Grimsby was charged with impaired driving. In Dundas Street West and Postmaster Drive, Saul Joya, 34, of Peterborough, was booked for driving under the influence and failed to comply with the demand.

The public is reminded that driving under the influence is a crime in progress, and citizens should call 911 to report a suspected impaired driver immediately.

To spot an impaired driver, drivers or pedestrians should be vigilant if someone is driving unreasonably fast, slow, inconsistent, or drifting through different lanes. Similarly, a driver tailgating and changing lanes frequently, making exceptionally wide turns, overshooting or stopping too quickly before the signs or completely disregarding signals and lights can also point towards an impaired driver. Driving without headlights, inability to lower high beams, leaving turn signals on, or driving with open windows in cold weather also point to the driver being under the influence. Anyone charged with these crimes is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.

Shazia Nazir, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Milton Reporter, Milton Reporter