Police are attributing a sharp decline in R.I.D.E. totals this year to the pandemic.
The seven-week Festive R.I.D.E team has charged a total of 51 motorists for drinking/drug driving offences. Last year, a total of 104 were charged.
Another 21 motorists have registered a WARN on a roadside screening device and had their driver’s licence suspended for 3-days. Last year, a total of 86 drivers had their licences suspended for registering a WARN. The big decline in the numbers is attributed to fewer vehicles on the road due to the pandemic.
The final week (seven) saw officers stop 440 vehicles and charging four drivers with drinking/drug impaired driving offences.
During the final week, officers conducted checks in Ajax, Pickering, Whitby, Oshawa and Clarington.
The 2020 Festive R.I.D.E. final totals are as follows (with the 2019 final totals in brackets):
8,464 (19,624) Vehicles stopped by R.I.D.E.
175 (787) People given Roadside Breath Tests
21 (86) People received “3-Day Suspensions’ for registering a “WARN”
3 (21) Novice Driver received a “3-Day Licence Suspension”
51 (104) People were charged with Drinking and Driving Offences
45 (12) People were charged with other Criminal Code Offences
489 (379) Charged with various Highway Traffic Act Offences
4 (4) Drug Offences
A complete list of those charged with Impaired/Exceed will be posted on DRPS website later this week at www.drps.ca under Hot Topics until the end of January 2021.
Note: Under the Ontario Highway Traffic Act, anyone charged with a drinking and driving criminal offence will have his or her driver’s licence suspended for 90 days and their vehicle impounded automatically for 7 days.