21 people charged with impaired driving offences in Ottawa over the holidays
A police officer holds a breathalizer in his hand while approaching a vehicle. FILE IMAGE (OPP_CR)
The Ottawa Police Service says 21 people have been charged with impaired driving offences this holiday season and is warning of a rise in impaired-related charges overall.
OPS reported on social media Thursday that 890 drivers were charged with impaired-related offences in the city this year, compared to a total of 857 in all of 2022.
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Police reported a total of 869 charges for all of 2023 last week, making the total 21 for the period of Dec. 18 to Dec. 27.
Statistics show 261 drivers involved in a collision were charged with impaired-related offences. In seven of those collisions, at least one person lost their life.
"One death is too many. Please drive sober this holiday season and plan a ride home," Ottawa Police said on social media. "If you are going to consume alcohol or cannabis, plan a safe ride home, like a designated driver, a taxi, rideshare or public transit."
Impaired driving charges were laid against a driver on Wednesday, who was allegedly responsible for a four-vehicle collision in the city's east-end which led to a child in a separate vehicle being injured.
Police say they charged 27 drivers in the city between the weekend of Thursday, Dec. 7 and Monday Dec. 11 alone.
The rise in impaired driving offences in Ottawa follows a trend seen across the province.
Ontario Provincial Police reported on Wednesday that 10,000 impaired driving charges were laid against drivers in the province this year – a 16 per cent increase from last year.
49 people died from alcohol or drug-related crashes and nearly 400 people died in motor vehicle collisions in Ontario – a number unseen since 2004.
OPS is conducting RIDE (Reduce Impaired Driving Everywhere) programs and is reminding drivers to celebrate responsibly and keep the roads safe.
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