Drunk driving on the rise in Ottawa, police warn

Ottawa police say the number of impaired driving offences has increased to pre-pandemic levels.

Police are reporting a 25 per cent increase in impaired driving charges this month compared to last year. They laid 54 impairement-related charges in March, up from 43 in March 2021.

Police say the numbers are a cause for concern as the weather warms resulting in more cyclists and pedestrians, along with the return of eScooters to the downtown core.

“If these trends continue, when we start mixing these folks with the motor vehicles, collisions will happen, and typically unfortunately the vulnerable road user ends up on the losing side,” Ottawa police Sgt. Troy Froats told CTV News at Noon.

So far this year, police have laid 146 impaired driving charges in Ottawa. Nearly half of those drivers were involved in a collision.

Police also say there’s an increased of inexperienced drivers—G1 and G2 licensees—being investigated for impaired driving, even though those licences don’t allow for any blood alcohol content.

 “We’ve had a high number right now of these licensees who are being stopped investigated for various road offences and are being found to have alcohol in their system, which is a concerning trend,” Froats said.

"Why the increase? I don't know if it has something to do with the pandemic opening and mor epeople on the road and the access to alcohol is increasing, but it's concerning."

Froats said these statistics largely concern alcohol rather than other substances.

People with those licences found with alcohol in their system can be subject to fines and driving suspensions of up to 30 days.