Festive RIDE campaign wraps up with a total of 113 impaired drivers in eastern Ontario: OPP

Police handcuffs, vehicle keys and an alcoholic beverage. (File photo)

Another 10 drivers were charged in eastern Ontario during the final week of the Festive RIDE (Reduce Impaired Driving Everywhere) campaign, according to the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP).

The preliminary total of drivers who were charged since the campaign started on Nov. 21, 2024 is 113, police say. The campaign ended on Jan. 1.

Nearly 1,200 drivers were stopped across eastern Ontario during the campaign, police add.

Police also issued a total of 29 “warning-range suspensions,” where drivers faced licence suspensions and vehicle impoundments, during the campaign.

Though the Festive RIDE campaign has ended, police say they will continue to nab impaired drivers who endager people's lives.

"Even one impaired driver on the roads is one too many. I want to acknowledge the dedication and commitment of our officers who conducted RIDE programs over the holiday season. Their efforts helped keep our roadways safe." Said chief superintendent and OPP East Region commander, Lisa Wilhelm.

The OPP warns that there is no specific timing for RIDE programs to take place, as they "can happen anywhere, anytime - day or night."

A new survey by CAA suggests that more people are driving high in Ontario. The survey of 1,664 Ontario drivers 19 and up found that nearly one in five (19 per cent) admitted to consuming cannabis before getting behind the wheel, up from five per cent the year before. The survey also found that the most common reasons for driving while impaired by cannabis included drivers thinking they didn't take that much, that they had no other way to get home, or that they thought it would only be a short drive.

Anyone who suspects an impaired driver is asked to call 9-1-1.