Ottawa police have seen more than 700 impaired drivers in 2024 as Festive RIDE season begins

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

The Ottawa Police Service's annual Festive RIDE (Reduce Impaired Driving Everywhere) campaign is getting underway.

Every year during the holidays, police set up impaired driving checkpoints throughout the city. Last year, Ottawa police charged 99 drivers with impaired driving offences over the course of the Festive RIDE program.

Police said in a news release Thursday that, so far this year, 752 drivers have been charged with impaired driving related offences, 299 of which were the result of people calling 9-1-1. Police also reported 195 impaired driving related collisions, including 12 with fatal or life-threatening injuries.

A total of 885 people were charged with impaired driving related offences in 2023.

This comes as a new survey by CAA suggests that more people are driving high.

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.

Police remind people who are consuming alcohol or cannabis to plan a safe ride home, like a designated driver, a taxi, rideshare or public transit.

"We all have a responsibility to keep our roads safe," said Acting Sgt. Amy Gagnon. "During this holiday season, we want everyone to make it home safely to their loved ones, and we are asking our community to drive sober and plan a ride home."

Police ask residents to call 9-1-1 if they suspect or know someone is driving impaired.