The North East Region Festive RIDE target was
surpassed when officers checked close to 104,000 vehicles
during the five-week traffic safety initiative (from Nov. 28 to
Jan. 3).
OPP officers laid 25 impaired driving charges
compared to 41 during the same time last year. Seventy-three
12-hour suspensions and 28 90-day administrative driver's
licence suspensions (ADLS) were issued and officers laid 130
other charges.
There were 621 collisions across the region
during the Festive RIDE time period. Three of those were fatal
crashes in which eight people were killed.
The success of North East Region Festive RIDE
initiative is dependant upon the operational contributions
from
OPP officers in 15 detachments - a total of
39 work locations.
Four specialized traffic and marine units in
North Bay, South Porcupine, Sudbury and Sault Ste. Marie
augmented
the enforcement effort of detachments and
contributed significantly to the enforcement effort. As well,
the six-
member SAVE team - North Bay deployed -
supported this traffic safety initiative.
The Ontario Provincial Police appreciates the
dedicated work of a variety of community groups in raising
awareness about the dangers of drinking and driving, as well as
the contributions of members of the media who
greatly assisted in communicating traffic
safety messages to the public.
Most importantly, the OPP values the
overwhelming public support for the frontline officers working
at RIDE checkpoints and thank those drivers who chose not to
drink and drive.
Insp. Jim McDonnell
Traffic and marine unit commander
Ontario Provincial Police
North East Region