On Wednesday, December 21st, 2022, members of the Niagara Regional Police Service (NRPS) conducted R.I.D.E. spot checks in the Town of Fort Erie and the City of St. Catharines.
Throughout the night, officers stopped approximately 400 vehicles and inquired if any of the drivers had consumed any alcohol or drugs earlier in the evening. In total, 18 drivers were required to provide a sample of their breath for analysis.
One driver provided a sample which resulted in a “Fail” and was subsequently arrested. Their vehicle was towed and impounded for seven days. Their licence was suspended for 90 days. One other driver had provided a sample resulting in an “Alert” and subsequently had their licence suspended for a period of three days.
Several Provincial Offence Notices (tickets) were also issued to drivers for various offences, including one driver who was charged with having care or control of their vehicle with cannabis readily available.
The Niagara Regional Police Service remains committed to reducing impaired driving offences through education and the apprehension of offenders through enforcement programs like R.I.D.E. Impaired driving remains the leading criminal offence causing death in Canada.
This initiative has been made possible, in part, as a result of grant funding from the Ministry of the Solicitor General as part of the Reduce Impaired Driving Everywhere (R.I.D.E) program.