Police launch Festive RIDE campaign

Police have officially launched the Festive RIDE (Reduce Impaired Driving Everywhere) campaign, with assistance from Victim Services of Simcoe County and MADD Barrie.
Drivers who are impaired by alcohol or drugs continue to pose a significant threat on our roads. Six people have lost their lives in collisions where impairment was a factor on OPP Central Region patrolled roads in 2021. Already this year, OPP Central Region officers have laid 1,862 charges for impaired driving and responded to 447 collisions involving impairment, of which 121 resulted in injury, a 22 per cent increase from last year.
The Festive RIDE campaign, which runs from Nov. 18 to Jan. 2, is led by the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police (OACP) and involves a collaboration among Ontario police services to keep roads free of alcohol-impaired and drug-impaired drivers. During the campaign, officers will be highly visible as they conduct RIDE initiatives 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Members of the public are reminded to plan to not drive when planning to drink or consume drugs. There are many alternative options to remove impaired driving from the picture, such as a designated driver, taxi, rideshare, public transit or staying the night.