RNC and RCMP officers who take impaired drivers off the province’s roads were recognized during an award ceremony in St. John’s yesterday..

The Team Nick Coates Awards are handed out annually. Officers who have taken at least eight impaired drivers off the road in the last year get a silver award, while those who have stopped at least 12 receive a gold award.

The awards’ namesake lost his life in 2013 after being hit by a drunk driver while on his motorcycle on Kenmount Road.

For RCMP Constable Caleb Pellerin, who works on the west coast, it was his sixth time being recognized at the awards.

Pellerin has seen upwards of three or four drivers per day who are under the influence, and has a simple message for anyone who might be thinking about getting behind the wheel if they aren’t fit to drive.

“Do the right thing; don’t drive impaired. There’s taxis and friends – it’s not worth it. I have family who have been caught for impaired. Unfortunately, you can’t change family but you can change the choices you make.”