Sudbury-area police are seeing an increase in impaired drivers

Police services across the north have been conducting Festive RIDE campaigns since mid-November and since then police in Sudbury say the message to ‘drive sober’ just is not getting across to some drivers.

The Festive RIDE program began on Nov. 17 and the Ontario Provincial Police say since then, in Greater Sudbury and surrounding areas, more than 130 ride programs have taken place.

“Throughout that ride events we have stopped over 3,000 cars,” said OPP Const. Rob Lewis.

“In that process we have done 168 mandatory alcohol screening devices and have charged eleven drivers for either impaired driving or refusal.”

Three of those were over the Christmas holidays, with two on Dec. 23, and another on Dec. 25 itself.

Lewis told CTV News he wants to remind motorists about mandatory alcohol screening laws.

“(The screening law) allows officers at any legal stop whether it be a vessel, vehicle, or an all terrain vehicle, that they have the right to demand a mandatory alcohol screening to see if that person has any type of alcohol in their system,” he said.

“The officer does not need to have any suspicion of alcohol on the driver at all.”

The Greater Sudbury Police Service (GSPS) has also laid multiple impaired driving charges in the city since the holiday RIDE checks began.

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Police in the area of Greater Sudbury have been conducting RIDE checks as part of the Festive RIDE Campaign since mid-November. (Molly Frommer/CTV News Northern Ontario)“We’ve arrested and charged 14 impaired drivers, three drug impaired, and 25 three day suspensions,” said Sergeant Blair Ramsay with GSPS.

Ramsey said the number of impaired drivers are up this year compared to last.

“This year so far, not just with the ride programs but total, our impaired alcohol stats are way up from last year, the drug impaired are down which is a good thing," said Ramsey.

"So, 2021 we had 154 impaired charges by alcohol and this year minus the next few days we’re already at 181.”

Police told CTV News that if anyone happens to come across a driver who they think is impaired, call 9-1-1 immediately.

“We can’t be everywhere all the time and we do ask to the public’s assistance when it comes to impaired drivers on the highways or trail ways, or snowmobile systems,” Lewis said.

The Festive RIDE Campaign will wrap up on Jan. 2.