DRPS completed its third week of the 2025 Festive RIDE program, stopping nearly 2,200 vehicles and charging 15 drivers with impaired driving offenses.
While impaired-driving–related arrests during the first three weeks of the 2025 Festive RIDE campaign are 8.6 per cent lower than during the same period in 2024, officers are noting an increase in overall impairment rates.
So far this year, 0.7% of drivers stopped have been impaired, compared to 0.4% at this time last year.
This trend reinforces the importance of the work being done by our RIDE. teams and the value of proactive, high-visibility enforcement.
In the first three weeks, frontline patrol has arrested an additional 12 impaired drivers, independent of RIDE team.
Officers conducted checks across the region with the following totals (the numbers in brackets reflect 2024 third week totals for comparison):
- Vehicles stopped: 2188 (4011)
- People given Roadside Breath Tests: 110 (174)
- People received “3 Day Suspensions” for registering a warn: 5 (13)
- Novice Driver received a 3, 7 or 30 Licence Suspension: 0 (3)
- People were charged with Impaired Driving Offences: 15 (16)
- People arrested for non-impaired driving related offences: 3 (7)
- Other Criminal Code Charges: 3 (0)
- Charged with various Highway Traffic Act offences: 160 (245)
- Drug Offences: 0 (6)
During the third week, DRPS officers worked in snow and sub-zero temperatures alongside partners from Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD).
Sgt. Greg Carroll, lead of the DRPS R.I.D.E. Team, is reminding residents to remain vigilant this season. “If you see something, say something,” he emphasized. “This applies not only to reporting suspected impaired drivers, but also to paying attention to how much alcohol/drugs your friends and loved ones may be consuming at holiday gatherings when they will be driving home. If someone is trying to leave your gathering and drive impaired, please call 911.”
A list of those charged can be found at www.drps.ca under RIDE Results.
Note: Under the Ontario Highway Traffic Act, anyone charged with an impaired diving criminal offense will have their driver’s license suspended for 90 days and their vehicle impounded automatically for seven days.