Ontario Provincial Police have wrapped up another holiday season keeping impaired drivers off Windsor-Essex roads.
The annual Festive Reduce Impaired Driving Everywhere (RIDE) campaign was completed across Ontario on January 3, and in Essex County, OPP officers charged eleven drivers with impaired driving.
While that figure is down from the 22 drivers charged during the 2019-2020 program, Essex County OPP Detachment Commander Inspector Glenn Miller said the ultimate goal is no impaired driving arrests during the holiday season, and the fight against impaired driving is a year-round affair.
"While our recent Festive RIDE results are encouraging, the statistics show that there are still those drivers who are willing to place you and your family in danger," said Miller. "We ask you to continue to immediately call the 911 if you suspect an impaired driver for your call may save a life. Let's continue to remain vigilant with our goal of reducing the instances of impaired driver's so we can all look forward to another festive season eleven months from now."
In addition to the impaired driving charges, nine other drivers were given three-day warn range suspensions.
During the campaign, OPP officers in Windsor-Essex conducted 95 Festive RIDE programs, interviewing hundreds of drivers and checking for signs of impairment by alcohol or drugs.
The OPP reminds drivers that alcohol checks take place on roads, trails, and waterways throughout the year, and it is a violation of the Criminal Code of Canada to refuse a request from an officer to take a roadside breath test, even when officers don't suspect you've been drinking.
The OPP has teamed up with Windsor police, LaSalle police, and MADD Windsor and Essex County to encourage anyone who sees someone driving impaired to call 911 immediately.