B.C. festival drivers fined for impairment and speeding
B.C. Highway Patrol ticketed hundreds at Shambhala Festival, targeting speeders See how roadside checks, towings and suspensions kept festival traffic safer
Hundreds of drivers were ticketed as they arrived at and left the Shambhala Music Festival in Salmo River Ranch, B.C., in July, according to the B.C. Highway Patrol.
The festival drew about 50,000 people from July 24 to 27. Police said they set up roadside checks and later roadblocks at the end of the event, issuing violation tickets for offences including excessive speeding, regular speeding, driving without due care, improper restraints, distracted driving and no insurance.
Officers said 57 vehicles were towed for mechanical safety issues or driver impairment, while 51 people received 24hour driving suspensions for drug impairment. Police also reported 85 sobriety tests, 30 drug evaluations and eight vehicles removed from the road for major mechanical defects.