Monday, November 24, 2003

OPP Festive R.I.D.E. 2003-04
Reduce the Risk…
Ensure Your Party Guests Have a Safe Ride Home

(North Bay, ON)
The Festive R.I.D.E. program provides an invaluable opportunity for police to remind the public that drinking and driving continues to be a road safety issue. Drivers are more likely to be deterred by legal penalties when they know what they are and believe there is a likelihood of being caught.

Beginning November 28th, 2003, and continuing until January 4th, 2004, Festive R.I.D.E. checkpoints will be a common sight as officers from North Bay, Mattawa and Powassan Detachments stop traffic in an effort to encourage sober driving. Please slow down as you approach a checkpoint and follow the officer’s instructions.

Groups like MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving), OSAID (Ontario Students Against Impaired Driving), Operation Red Nose and The North Bay Focus – No Thanks I’m Driving Campaign and Action Sudbury – Citizens Against Drinking and Driving dedicate a tremendous amount of effort in raising awareness about the dangers of drinking and driving.

The average person can help too. Ensure that your party guests have a safe way home – a designated driver, a taxicab. If necessary, ask for the car keys as a precaution against revelers who may consider driving home under the influence. It’s a simple strategy that might save someone from a life altering decision.

What drivers need to remember is that impaired driving is a criminal code offence because of the risk or danger this represents to other road users.

Having ‘one too many’ is only a crime once you get behind the wheel.








North Bay, Mattawa, Powassan Detachments Festive R.I.D.E. Statistics – 2002-2003 5-week program


Number of vehicles checked 4,783


Number of persons charged with
impaired over .08 or refusal 6


12 hour suspension 12

90 day ADLS 6





Total Number of Motor Vehicle Collisions 121

Total Number of Fatal Motor Vehicle Collisions 0

Total Number of People Killed 0

Total Number of People Injured 38