Hundreds charged with impaired driving over holidays: OPP West Region
OPP West Region's RIDE checkpoints made 278 impaired driving charges
The Ontario Provincial Police say hundreds of drivers faced criminal charges over the holidays in the region as a result of impaired driving.
OPP's 2022 holiday Reduce Impaired Driving Everywhere (RIDE) program, was set up to nab impaired drivers from mid-November to Jan. 3.
OPP West Region made 278 impaired driving charges and 49 warn-range suspensions through the campaign. They had 1904 RIDE checkpoints in the region, up from 1,243 in 2021.
The numbers are below last year's, which saw 280 impaired driving charges and 55 warn-range suspensions.
OPP Middlesex and Oxford detachments saw some of the highest number of charges in the region with 43 in each area. South Bruce saw the fewest with only four impaired driving charges.
"The OPP encourages drivers to make the smart, safe choice: if you plan to drink or take drugs always take a taxi, contact a rideshare service or use a designated driver. Impaired driving poses a major safety risk to all drivers," said inspector Ross Stuart, OPP West Region's traffic and marine manager.
The OPP urges the public to call 9-1-1 if you suspect an impaired driver.