Police see more impaired drivers in RIDE checks

WATERLOO REGION — More than 30 people have been charged with impaired driving or have received a suspended licence since the festive Reduce Impaired Driving Everywhere (RIDE) program launched Nov. 23 — a sharp increase over recent years.

Police say they have charged 19 people with impaired driving, and another 15 have been hit with a three-day licence suspension for having a blood alcohol concentration between 0.05 and 0.08, or 80 milligrams of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood.

“We’ve seen a disturbing trend in impaired (driving),” said Cherri Greeno, media relations co-ordinator with the Waterloo Regional Police Service. “We’re out every night ... and sadly continue to see people who decide to drive after consuming alcohol.”

With about three weeks still left in the program, police have already charged more motorists this year than they did last holiday season, when there were 12 festive RIDE and seven regular duty RIDE programs from Dec. 1, 2017 , to Jan. 1, 2018. Police checked 2,192 vehicles and administered 37 roadside sobriety tests, resulting in six impaired-related charges.

In 2016, 10 festive RIDE and 35 regular RIDE programs occurred. Police checked 12,621 vehicles, resulting in 40 roadside screenings and 11 impairedrelated charges.

Festive RIDE stops are funded by a provincial grant to help offset the overtime costs.

There was a bit of good news out of Cambridge this weekend as a RIDE check on Friday night stopped nearly 1,000 vehicles but resulted in zero impaired driving charges. While the Waterloo Regional Police traffic safety unit Twitter account tweeted, “Congratulations Waterloo Region” on Saturday to mark the achievement, police say the statistic is an anomaly.

Despite the good news out of Cambridge, officers laid eight impaired driving charges and issued two threeday suspensions over the weekend elsewhere in the region, Greeno said.

Staff Sgt. Mike Hinsperger, head of the WRPS traffic branch, said motorists aren’t getting the message to find another way home after drinking or consuming drugs.

“They (charges) are up compared to last year, and we’re certainly trying to do our part to get the message out,” he said.

Hinsperger also said police haven’t seen an increase in drug-related impairment at RIDE stops despite recent legalization.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re using drugs or drinking, don’t drive a vehicle. It’s as simple as that,” he said.