OTTAWA — The Ottawa Police Service (OPS) held its annual Festive RIDE Campaign between Nov. 26, 2020 and Jan. 2.

“We would like to thank the Ottawa Insurance Brokers Association for joining us at two MegaRIDE checks in December with policing partners including the OPP, the RCMP and the Military Police providing drivers with a token of appreciation for driving sober,” the OPS released in a statement last week (Jan. 19).

RIDE officers stopped approximately 4,000 cars resulting in six people being charged with impaired driving. Three people had their driver’s licence suspended for three days after blowing a warning on a roadside (Approved Screening Device). Additionally, 12 drivers were charged with having cannabis and/or liquor readily available to the driver. 

“The Ottawa police would like to remind drivers that cannabis, like liquor, must be out of the driver’s reach,” the OPS said. “If a package is unsealed or open, it must be fastened closed or stowed in way that it is not readily available to any person in the vehicle.”

Patrol officers charged an additional 48 people with impaired driving and an additional 10 people had their driver’s licence suspended for three or seven days over the same period. 

“Impaired driving is 100 per cent preventable,” Impaired Countermeasures lead Sgt. Troy Froats said. “Our hope is that everyone who decides to drive will make the right decision and drive sober.”

While officers are highly trained to detect impaired drivers, we rely on the public to report suspected impaired driving. Road safety is everyone’s responsibility. If you suspect someone is driving impaired call 911.