With impaired driving incidents continuing to rise, OPP says it’s gearing up for a “robust” Festive RIDE season.
The Reduce Impaired Driving Everywhere (RIDE) campaign is an annual initiative led by the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police (OCAP) traffic committee.
The campaign officially got underway as of Thursday, Nov. 20 and continues straight through until Jan. 1, 2026.
During this season’s enforcement efforts, police said motorists should expect an increase in RIDE initiatives throughout the province as officers work around the clock to ensure people are driving sober and drug-free.
According to police, 34 people have already died on OPP-patrolled roads in alcohol/drug-related collisions so far this year.
Police are calling on everyone to do their part this holiday season to combat a staggering increase in impaired driving charges.
This means calling police if you suspect someone is driving impaired – or about to drive impaired. Citizens play a major role in road safety this way, with OPP saying they’ve already responding to more than 21,000 of these calls this year.
These proactive efforts – as well as simple actions like planning ahead before heading to a holiday gathering as an example – help take dangerous drivers off the road, stressed police.
Police are also reminding residents about Ontario’s Zero Tolerance law, which means it’s illegal for young, novice and commercial drivers to have any amount of alcohol or drugs in their system when behind the wheel.
(Written by: Sarah Hyatt)
