Bus driver transporting 52 kids charged with impaired driving north of Saskatoon

A 70-year-old charter bus driver is being accused of impaired driving, according to Saskatoon Police.

His bus had 52 children on board; thankfully, the children all made it home safe.

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This happened on March 14, just before 6 p.m. on Highway 16 and 71st Street West, just north of Saskatoon.

Police were called for a report of an impaired driver operating a charter bus.

When police arrived, the bus was parked on the side of the road. The driver, believed to be under the influence, was in the back seat of a personal vehicle that had been travelling behind the bus.

Following an investigation, the man was charged with impaired driving and exceeding 80 mg of alcohol in 100 ml of blood within two hours of driving, which is a .08 per cent blood alcohol content (BAC).

A replacement driver showed up to charter the children back to Saskatoon.

How alcohol affects driving

According to SGI, alcohol affects everyone differently.

Blood alcohol content (BAC) may be affected by age, gender, physical condition, amount of food consumed, medication and other factors.

The first part of the body affected by alcohol is the brain, particularly the part that allows for clear thoughts and good decisions.

As blood alcohol levels start to rise, the brain becomes increasingly sedated or drugged.

These effects start with one drink.

The second part of the body affected is muscle control. For example, since muscles in the eyes are so small, they are more susceptible to the effects of alcohol, causing vision to be affected, even at low alcohol levels.

In the Saskatchewan Driver’s Handbook, a .08 per cent BAC can:

• slow muscle coordination (balance, speech, vision, reaction time and hearing)
• make detecting danger more difficult
• impact your judgement, self-control, reason and memory

When it comes to driving, that same level of BAC can:

• impact concentration
• cause short-term memory loss
• impact speed control
• reduce information processing capability (like signalling and shoulder checking)
• impact perception

The likelihood of a crash also increases with BAC. This likelihood begins long before drivers feel drunk or severely impaired.

According to SGI, the increased likelihood of a crash is 11x higher when a driver’s BAC is between .05-.09 per cent.

SGI said the only truly safe BAC is zero percent.