Renewed drinking and driving concerns amid results of Festive R.I.D.E. campaigns

Disappointing R.I.D.E. results in Ontario OPP said they stopped 9,500 drivers during their recent Festive R.I.D.E. campaign. Krista Sharpe tells us how many were allegedly impaired.

It is a message we have been hearing for a long time – drinking and driving do not mix.

But the latest figures from recent Festive R.I.D.E. programs show it’s still a big problem.

Ontario Provincial Police said they conducted nearly 2,000 R.I.D.E check events throughout West Region and stopped more than 9,500 drivers.

Of those, 292 were allegedly impaired.

OPP said they also handed out 19 warnings to those who had a blood alcohol level within the suspension range.

OPP Sgt. Ed Sanchuk said it’s never a good idea to get behind the wheel after even one alcoholic drink and stressed that bad decisions have consequences.

“It's very, very difficult for a police officer to go to a scene, to a call for service [and] realize that this person's been seriously injured or killed as a result of an impaired driver when it simply could have been prevented by planning ahead.”

Sanchuk said Huron County set up the most R.I.D.E. checks this year, with 238 in total. In Essex County, officers caught the largest number of impaired drivers. Between Nov. 21 and Jan. 1, OPP there laid 48 impaired driving charges.

Waterloo Region

Festive R.I.D.E. check events were also organized in Waterloo Region.

According to the Waterloo Regional Police Service, officers stopped more than 8,000 vehicles throughout their campaign. Only three drivers were allegedly impaired, nine others had their licenses suspended for having their blood alcohol level near the warning level and one person was allegedly caught driving high.

WRPS said they laid a total of 24 Highway Traffic Act charges.

Staff Sgt. Scott Griffiths, with WRPS Traffic Services, told CTV News he was happy to see most people obeying the rules.

“The risk of serious bodily harm, or death, or injury to other parties themselves, or their drivers, is so acute that any number of impaired drivers that we're locating is alarming and unacceptable to us.”

Griffiths said the R.I.D.E. statistics only reflect those who were stopped at one of the WRPS checkpoints and, outside of that, other impaired drivers were also caught and charged by officers during the month of December.

Guelph

In Guelph, more than 17,000 drivers found themselves rolling down the window during that city’s recent R.I.D.E. campaign.

Two drivers were arrested for being impaired behind the wheel and six others received a three-day license suspension.

“It is a good number,” said Scott Tracey, a spokesperson for the Guelph Police Service. “But I think it's important to realize that any impaired driving is too much. So those two who were charged and, frankly, the six others who were close to being over the limit, they were potential killers on the road.”

While they often ramp up during the holiday season, R.I.D.E. programs can happen at any time of year.