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Vol. 121 No. 2 Tuesday, December 9, 1986 Copy 35* Durham Regional Police are step- ping up their Christmas road-side spot checks in Scugog, Uxbridge and Brock Townships. A Police spokesman said last week, motorists in these areas can expect to run into spot checks at a variety of locations as officers will not be working in any specific patterns. If officers suspect that a driver has been drinking, they will be ask- ed to give a breath sample. The ALERT (Alcohol Level Evaluation Road Test) machine measures at three levels: Pass, warning and fail. A driver who registers a warning level can face a temporary licence suspension which means leaving the vehicle beside the road or having it towed if it interferes with traffic. "Te A "Fail" reading on the road side breath test leads to a second test with the regular breathalyser machine at the Police station. The Police spokesman noted that failure to give a breath sample at the road side is an offense under the Criminal Code and conviction on the charge can result in a fine up to $2,000 and/or up to six months in jail. The penalties for conviction if im- paired driving or registering over .08 can result in a heavy fine (up to $2,000) loss of driving licence, and "a substantial hike in insurance premiums. Police forces across Canada believe that stepped up enforcement of the drinking-driving laws at this time of year have led to a reduction Have you got your Christmas tree yet? If not, you might con- sider purchasing one of the trees from the annual Guiding and Scouting sale at the Port Perry Plaza. Last Saturday Sue Craning and her two daughters Andrea (left) and Stefanie (far right) pick- ed up their tree from vendor John Wassink and his daughter Jean- nette, 6. in the number of drinking drivers on the roads. However, the Durham spokesman pointed out that a person does not necessarily have to be impaired to register a 'warning' on the ALERT test and face the inconvenience of a temporary licence suspension for 12 hours. Generally speaking, an ounce of alcohol takes about an hour to get in- to the bloodstream and another hour to get out of the blood. For most people, three or four drinks over a short period of time are enough to register a "warning" or a "fail" reading on the ALERT machine. The safest course at this or any time of year is simply not to drink at all if you have to drive. Take a cab, leave the vehicle in the driveway, or have someone drive you home. Durham Region Police are urging residents of the rural areas in Scugog, Brock and Uxbridge Townships to report any suspicious strangers or vehicles in an effort to stop the rash of day-time home burglaries. 'There have been close to 40 such burglaries in the three Townships over the past three months and a police spokesman said 'it's not enough any more to tell people just to keep their doors locked. They (thieves) just break in the doors to get into the houses." The Regional Police have increas- ed the number of day time patrols in the rural areas, but with several hundred miles of isolated concession roads in the three Townships, ac- tually catching thieves in the act is a hit and miss proposition for the police. The spokesman stressed that peo- ple living in isolated rural areas should "look out for their neighbours." "Any strange vehicles should be reported to police. A lot of people may not like to call police if they see a strange car, but they may be do- ing themselves and their neighbours a favour," said the spokesman. "There are several patterns to the rash of break-ins over the past few months. Most take place during the day when the home owners are away from the house. The thieves usually break through a door or win- dow and steal expensive household '44 Pages ™ Roadside checks spell grief for drinkingdrivers i Durham Police are steppi:g up their roadside spot checks over the Christmas-New Years season and if officers suspect a driver has been drinking, he/she will be asked to give a breath sample into the ALERT machine displayed here by P.C. Rick Olaisen. The ALERT machine measures breath samples as "pass, warning or fail." Failure to give a roadside breath sample can lead to a criminal charge. So play. it safe this Christmas, don't drink and drive. goods like televisions, micro waves and VCR's. On December 4, a home south of Uxbridge was broken into, ransack- ed and several thousand dollars in household items taken. And the same day in Brock Township, Thieves continue to prey on homes in isolated area thieves hit a home by smashing a rear door and made off with a VCR, a micro wave aven., a Winchester 30/30 rifle and several wrapped Christmas presents. In both cases, the owners of the (Turn to page 33) Cars on street could disappear Scugog Township ordered seven vehicles ticketed and towed away last Thursday night because they were interfering with snow removal on Queen Street in Port Perry. Roads superintendent Ron Mac- Donald told the Star the next day the Township has the authority under by-law to ticket and tow any vehicle that is interfering with snow removal. He also noted that it is illegal to park a vehicle on any Township street for longer than three hours at any time of the year. But it is during the winter months when vehicles parked on the road become a major problem for snow removal crews. He said that when a plow is forc- ed to go around a parked car, this will leave a drift of snow in the travelled portion of the road. And these drifts, especially if they later freeze, can cause damage to a mov- ing car and may cause the driver to lose control if hit by a moving vehicle. He warned that vehicle owners who leave their cars parked on the roads can expect to find them ticketed and/or towed away. A parking violation ticket carries at $10 fine. For those vehicles tow- ed away, the owner must pay the towing charge ($20-$30) and face the inconvenience of getting the vehicle from the pound at Manchester the next day. Residents are urged to make ar- rangements to keep their vehicles off the streets during snowfalls. The Township Works Department routinely carries out snow clean-up in the Port Perry business area (snow is trucked away) after five in- ches accumulation. ER