10 PER CENT OF OPP ‘FESTIVE’ RIDE STOPS LEAD TO IMPAIRED DRIVING CHARGES ACROSS CENTRAL ONTARIO
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com
CENTRAL ONTARIO — Police “Festive” road enforcement efforts led to almost one in 10 drivers officers stopped being charged with impaired operation in the final 42 days leading up to the end of last year.
The OPP said Monday their annual Festive RIDE (Reduce Impaired Driving Everywhere) campaign wrapped up New Year’s Day with 179 drivers facing a combined 288 impaired driving-related charges in its Central Region.
That’s 9.34 per cent charged.
From November 20 to January 1, officers conducted 1,916 spot checks — totalling 3,517.5 hours of enforcement across 13 detachment areas: Bracebridge, Caledon, City of Kawartha Lakes, Collingwood, Dufferin, Haliburton Highlands, Huntsville, Huronia West, Northumberland, Nottawasaga, Orillia, Peterborough County and Southern Georgian Bay.
This enforcement effort resulted in the 179 impaired drivers being removed from the road and 28 warn-range suspensions.
That’s 9.34 per cent charged.
Huntsville stats
During this campaign Huntsville officers conducted 102 checks. Officers laid 14 impaired/criminal driving charges, 8 associated Highway traffic Act charges and 1 criminal offense charge for theft of motor vehicle.
Provincewide …
Provincially, the OPP removed 766 drivers off the road and issued 150 warn-range suspensions during 11,130 RIDE check events across 165 OPP-patrolled areas in Ontario.
Officers worked around the clock, sometimes in severe weather conditions, as they dedicated more than 20,000 hours to conducting over 11,000 RIDE checkpoints throughout the province.
And issued 150 immediate roadside suspensions to drivers who were in the Warn Range or who are part of the Zero Tolerance driver classes (young, novice and commercial drivers) that must have zero alcohol or drugs in their system.
Motorists are reminded that the OPP conducts RIDE events throughout the year as part of its ongoing efforts to save lives on Ontario roads.
The OPP thanks all road users and citizens who reported suspected impaired drivers to police and did their part to keep roads safe over the holidays.
DID YOU KNOW?
New impaired driving penalties came into effect on January 1, 2026.
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