East Region OPP begin 2024-2025 Festive RIDE program

Photo via Ontario Association Of Chiefs Of Police.
Editor’s note: This article has been updated since it was originally published on Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024. Please see bottom of article for most recently updated information.
There are many things that undoubtedly remind us that the holidays are nearly here, and one of those things involves bright lights of a different variety than those we hang on our trees or eavestroughs.
The red, white, and blue lights atop Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) vehicles at checkpoints on roadways throughout the province mark the return of the OPP Festive RIDE program. An acronym for ‘Reduce Impaired Driving Everywhere,’ the RIDE program aims to remind motorists not to drive if holiday parties have gotten a little too festive, and to remove drivers who’ve indulged in another kind of holiday spirits from the busy roads that come along with the season.
“We all have a role to play in keeping people safe on Ontario’s roads. As you gather with family, friends and colleagues over the holidays, please devise a plan that ensures no one in your presence gets behind the wheel if they have consumed alcohol or taken drugs,” said Thomas Carrique, Ontario Provincial Police Commissioner. “Your actions, combined with robust impaired driving enforcement on the part of the OPP and its valued policing partners, can go a long way towards saving lives.”
The importance of the campaign is underscored in the statistics gathered by the OPP last year; according to the 2023 OPP Annual Report, the provincial police service laid more than 11,000 impaired driving related charges last year – 11,142 such charges, to be exact. That’s up 914 charges, or nearly nine per cent, over the number of impaired driving charges laid by the OPP in 2022, and up 1,590 charges, or more than 16 per cent, over the number of those charges in 2021. Also in 2023, OPP RIDE programs resulted in 732 impaired driving charges laid, up from 614 in 2022 – an increase of just over 16 per cent, according to the report.
And in 2023, 12 per cent of fatal collisions on OPP-patrolled roadways listed impaired driving as the “primary causal factor.”
According to the OPP, the 2024-2025 Festive RIDE campaign kicks off today, Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024. Running through Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025, the campaign will involve members from all OPP detachments in the East Region, and motorists can expect to see an increased OPP presence on roads throughout Ontario.
“Impaired Driving is a leading cause of collisions on our highways, and a threat to public safety in our communities,” the OPP relayed in a press release.
“There are many options to avoid driving while impaired by alcohol or drugs: take a taxi, call a friend, stay over, or have a designated sober driver.”
The OPP remind members of the public to import impaired or suspected impaired drivers by calling 911 in the case of an emergency, the OPP Provincial Communications Centre at 1-888-310-1122, or calling Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
Update (Friday, Nov. 29, 2024):
Since the Festive RIDE program launched on Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024 (see above for details), Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) officers across East Region have charged 23 motorists with impaired driving, according to police.
In a media release, the OPP stated that officers have conducted over 200 Festive RIDE programs since the above date, stopping hundreds of drivers to ensure they were not impaired by alcohol or drugs.
In addition to the impaired driving arrests, officers also issued nine warnings, resulting on those drivers being issued licence suspensions and having their vehicles impounded.
“Impaired drivers are a threat everyone on the roads, including themselves, their passengers, other drivers and even pedestrians. If you plan to drink or consume drugs, make sure you have a plan. Have a designated driver, take transit, a ride-share or taxi, or just stay put,” said Chief Superintendent Lisa Wilhelm, OPP East Region Commander.
OPP remind drivers that RIDE programs can happen anywhere, anytime – day or night.
“If you suspect someone is driving impaired, call 9-1-1. You could be saving lives,” the OPP expressed.
With files from Jessica Foley.