Durham Police completed its first week of the 2023 Festive Ride program, stopping more than 2,091 vehicles and charging 13 drivers with impaired driving offences.
The DRPS Ride team conducted checks throughout the Region of Durham with the following totals (the numbers in brackets reflect 2022 first week totals as a comparison):
- 2,091 (1,755) vehicles stopped
- 59 (117) people given roadside breath tests
- 6 (12) people received three-day suspension for registering a warn
- 5 (3) novice drivers received a three-, seven- or 30-day licence suspension
- 13 (14) people charged with drinking and driving offences
- 24 (5) other Criminal Code charges
- 204 (159) charged with various Highway Traffic Act offences
- 0 (2) drug offences
In addition to taking 13 impaired drivers off our roadways, the Ride team also recovered two stolen vehicles, one of which was operated by an impaired driver. The team also located a firearm during a proactive stop underscoring that there is no such thing as a ‘routine traffic stop’, said a police statement.
Last week, the Ride team was joined by representatives from Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) as well as Ontario’s Ministry of Transportation Education Branch, who took time to speak with some of the people stopped, explaining the risks of impaired driving and expressing gratitude to those that made the right choice and drove sober.
A complete list of those charged with Impaired/Exceed is posted here and can be found at drps.ca under Ride results.
Under the Ontario Highway Traffic Act, anyone charged with a drinking and driving criminal offence will have their driver’s licence suspended for 90 days and their vehicle impounded, the police warned.