Drinking and driving aren't slowing down on area roads according to OPP Festive Reduce Impaired Driving Everywhere (R.I.D.E.) stats.
North East Region officers charged 98 people for impaired driving offences during the program from November 16, 2023 until January 1 2024 says Constable Kyler Brouwer.
Of the 98 occurrences, 15 were officer-initiated traffic stops, 16 were from a RIDE program, 36 were traffic complaints from the public, and 31 were officers responding to motor vehicle collisions says a news release.
Most recently, there were two people charged with impaired driving at RIDE programs on December 31 2023, and four more charged on January 1 2024 - two from calls, and two from proactive traffic stops.
Police say 78 of the drivers charged were impaired by the consumption of alcohol, while 20 drivers were impaired as a result of the consumption of a drug.
Apart from these criminal charges, 26 people were issued 3-day driver's licence suspension and one person a 7-day licence suspension, as a result of registering an "Alert" on an approved screening device. Eleven of these suspensions were handed out at RIDE programs, eight from traffic stops, seven from calls from the public, and one after a collision investigation.
Reporting impaired driving is everyone's responsibility. Call 9-1-1 if you suspect an impaired driver.
