The OPP Festive R.I.D.E. (Reduce Impaired Driving Everywhere) campaign took place from November 24, 2017 until January 2, 2018. During this year’s Festive RIDE campaign Upper Ottawa Valley OPP officers conducted 214 RIDE checks in the Upper Ottawa Valley OPP detachment area.
Over the course of the campaign, four people were charged with Impaired Driving, Over 80mg or Refusal.
In addition to the criminal code driving charges, two roadside driver’s license suspensions were also issued during the campaign for drivers who registered in the warn range.
Although the Festive RIDE campaign has concluded the Upper Ottawa Valley OPP is committed to making our roadways safe and RIDE programs will continue throughout the year at any time of the day or night.
Provincially, the OPP charged 587 drivers with impaired driving during its annual Festive Reduce Impaired Driving Everywhere (RIDE) campaign.
An additional 366 drivers were issued a Warn Range Suspension and had their driver’s licence suspended for having a blood alcohol concentration between .05 and .08.
By comparison, the OPP charged 623 impaired drivers and issued 407 Warn Range Suspensions during the 2016-2017 Festive RIDE campaign.
The OPP remained highly focused on keeping roads safe over the holidays, reflecting on the 44 lives lost in alcohol/drug-related collisions on OPP-patrolled roads in 2017. Officers conducted more than 9,830 RIDE events throughout the province, surpassing the 7,343 RIDE events conducted over the previous season’s campaign.
Over the holidays, OPP Drug Recognition Evaluators (DRE) assisted with the tools and expertise to test for and detect drug impairment in drivers. Of the 587 drivers charged, 29 were charged with drug impairment.
While the OPP maintained a heightened focus on impaired drivers during the campaign, officers enforce impaired driving laws around the clock, 365 days a year. In 2017, the OPP charged 4,915 drivers with alcohol-impaired charges and 238 drivers with drug-impaired charges and issued 2,995 Warn Range Suspensions.
The OPP is again reminding the public to call 9-1-1 if you suspect that someone is driving while impaired by alcohol or drugs. In doing so, you could be saving lives.
