Middlesex County OPP lay over a dozen impaired driving charges during Festive RIDE campaign

Middlesex County OPP removed a total of 23 impaired drivers from provincially patrolled roads around the London area over the holidays.

The troubling statistics stem from the annual festive RIDE campaign, held between Nov. 23 and Jan. 2, and include the 14 drivers charged with being impaired by alcohol, the one driver charged with being impaired by drugs and the eight drivers who didn’t face a criminal charge but had their licence suspended for blood alcohol content levels between .05 and .08 mg.

“Bottom line is it’s a bad idea,” said Const. Chad Murray in a video posted on Twitter.

“There are so many other options for transportation when it comes to drinking and going out. You’ve got Uber, you’ve got taxis, you’ve got friends and family… there are so many ways to avoid driving after drinking.”

Provincial police conducted a total of 10,270 stops across all of Ontario compared to 9,830 stops the previous year. They laid a total of 539 charges to drivers impaired by alcohol or drugs, while another 384 drivers had their licences temporarily taken away for being within what police call the “warn range,” with blood alcohol content levels between .05 and .08 mg.

Those statistics include figures from West Region, which stretches north into Tobermory, west into Windsor and east into Guelph and includes Middlesex County.

In West Region, police issued 110 warn range suspensions, 135 alcohol-impaired charges and 10 drug-impaired charges.

“We need you guys to do your part,” said Const. Adam Crewdson. “It’s literally in your hands.”

Provincial police are reminding drivers that officers can demand a roadside breath sample from any driver they stop lawfully, without needing reasonable grounds to suspect the driver has been drinking or using drugs.

New legislation that came into effect Dec. 18 also means drivers impaired by alcohol now face higher mandatory minimum fines.