OPP, other police agencies kick off festive RIDE campaign

The message from Ontario Provincial Police and other police forces is clear: don’t drink and drive.

With the Holidays fast approaching, the OPP’s festive RIDE campaign is starting. Drivers are reminded police are allowed to demand a roadside breath sample without having a reasonable suspicion that a driver is impaired.

Police said drug recognition evaluators and field sobriety testing officers can detect impaired driving, regardless of whether the impairment is a result of alcohol or drug consumption.

Officers with the OPP, North Bay police, the military police and the Anishinabek police kick-started the first RIDE check of the year along Highway 17B on Thursday afternoon just outside of North Bay.

Statistics for the northeast region show in the last five years, impaired driving is up by about six per cent. In 2021, 560 drivers in the northeast were charged, compared to more than 470 recorded so far this year.

It's frustrating for police because some drivers still aren't getting the message.

"There are more and more ways to get home safely as we get along in years, considering ride-sharing, taxis, friends and a lot of non-profit organizations that are willing to give people a ride home,” said OPP Insp. Michael Maville.

“So there's a level of frustration."

The Festive RIDE campaign runs from Nov. 17 until Jan. 2. During the campaign, expect to see officers set up along a road as they conduct RIDE stops 24 hours a day, seven days a week, throughout the province.