Festive RIDE checks result in arrest

One driver was arrested and another had a licence suspended for three days during RIDE checks in St. Catharines and Niagara-on-the-Lake.

Fifteen members of Niagara Regional Police participated in the Festive RIDE campaign Friday night to Saturday morning and conducted sobriety spot checks in the two municipalities.

Police spoke with 520 drivers and asked if they had any alcohol or drugs before operating their vehicles. Nine drivers were stopped and required to provide a sample of their breath for analysis.

Police said for the third week in a row, a driver provided a breath sample over the legal limit and was arrested and charged. Another driver provided a sample in the warning range and lost their licence for three days.

The NRP’s Reduce Impaired Driving Everywhere initiative has been made possible in part by a grant from the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services.

The service’s festive RIDE program kicked off on the Dec. 2 weekend in Niagara-on-the-Lake and Niagara Falls, where one person was arrested and another three drivers received threeday licence suspensions.

Last weekend, the NRP stopped more than 580 vehicles at RIDE checkpoints in West Lincoln and St. Catharines, resulting in an arrest and two three-day licence suspensions.