The festive season is drawing closer and while it may not feel like previous years, one thing won’t change and that is the OPP’s Festive RIDE campaign.
The annual campaign kicks off on Thursday, November 26 and will continue until January 3, 2021.
So far this year, officers have received more than 21,800 calls to report suspected impaired drivers and forty two (42) people have died on OPP-patrolled roads in collisions that involved an alcohol/drug-impaired driver.
OPP officers conducted more than 8,800 RIDE stops, charging 605 motorists with impaired driving during the 2019/20 Festive RIDE campaign.
Close to 3,300 such calls were placed during the 2019/20 Festive RIDE campaign and reflect the ‘zero tolerance’ attitude the OPP encourages everyone to adopt every day.
Motorists are reminded that officers regularly conduct Mandatory Alcohol Screening (MAS) with drivers who are lawfully pulled over and they will be ramping up this investigative measure, including at R.I.D.E. stops, throughout the campaign.
Now heading into its third year, under the MAS law, an officer with an approved alcohol screening device can demand a breath sample from any driver without having reasonable suspicion that they have alcohol in their body.
Drug screening equipment that detects cannabis (and cocaine) in a driver’s saliva is another important resource officers have at their disposal. These devices are used to enforce the provincial “zero tolerance” sanctions that apply to young, novice and commercial drivers who are suspected of having the presence of drugs in their body.
Under impaired driving laws, the OPP can also demand that a driver submit to a Standardized Field Sobriety Test (SFST) and a Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) Evaluation. SFST-trained officers and DREs have the expertise to detect impairment by alcohol, drugs or both in a driver.
“Combined with the dedication of our frontline officers, our collective efforts can significantly help keep you and your loved ones safe on our roads during the holidays and throughout the year,” says OPP Commissioner Thomas Carrique.
