The Saskatoon Police Service is getting set to hold additional sobriety checkstops this holiday season.

Staff Sergeant Patrick Barbar says so far this year, the SPS has conducted 32 checkstops and by time December 31st rolls around, the police service will have conducted 39 checkstops in total for 2019.

Barbar says checkstops are meant for enforcement, but they’re also meant to be a strong deterrent for people who drive by and are reminded that there are serious consequences for impaired driving. He adds they’ll be handing out Christmas treats and gifts to sober drivers who pass through checkstops this holiday season.

The Staff Sergeant says risks associated with impaired driving increase quite dramatically in the month of December and as a police service, they’re committed to keeping the holidays safe for everybody out on the roads.

SGI’s Tyler McMurchy says there’s always a better option than driving impaired. He points to calling a designated driver, calling a taxi, taking a rideshare, taking the bus or staying the night.

“Nobody wants to remember this holiday season or any other as the were you got an impaired driving charge, the one were you caused a collision because you were impaired, the one were somebody got injured or somebody lost their life.”

The Saskatoon Police Service has three different types of breathalyzers they can use to determine if people are driving under the influences of drugs or alcohol, including their newest machine which can test for impairment of cocaine or cannabis.