On Friday August 4th, 2023, members of the Niagara Regional Police Service (NRPS) Traffic Enforcement Unit (TEU) conducted R.I.D.E. spot checks in the City of St. Catharines and the City of Port Colborne.
Throughout the night, officers stopped over 500 vehicles and inquired if any of the drivers had consumed any alcohol or drugs earlier in the evening. In total, 13 drivers were required to provide a sample of their breath for analysis.
Three drivers were arrested and charged for impaired operation of a motor vehicle in accordance with the Criminal Code of Canada after providing samples of their breath that exceeded 80 milligrams of alcohol per 100 milliliters of blood. All three drivers had their vehicles towed and seized for a period of seven days.
Three other drivers provided samples of their breath that registered in the “Alert” range, meaning their blood alcohol concentration was between 50 milligrams of alcohol and 80 milligrams of alcohol per 100 milliliters of blood. All three drivers had their licences suspended for a period of three days in accordance with the Ontario Highway Traffic Act.
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.
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.