Police in Ontario say more than 200 impaired driving charges have been laid over the Christmas week, taking the total number for the year beyond 10,000.
Ontario Provincial Police said 397 people had died in crashes on the province’s roads through the year, with 400 or more fatalities not recorded since 2004.
A total of 49 people have died in crashes police have linked to alcohol or drugs.
In a video shared to social media, OPP Sgt. Kerry Schmidt implored people to “be a better driver” and not risk either intoxication or treacherous conditions.
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He said the force was seeing an increase in impaired driving charges “year over year over year.” And said the number of impaired charges in 2023 was up 16 per cent compared to the year before.
Over the past week, 215 charges have been laid for suspected impaired driving, Schmidt said.
“It may not be icy or snowy where we are here in the GTA,” he said. “But please drive to the conditions, slow down, keep your headlights on. Please, let’s get through to New Year’s without another single fatality.”
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