Pubdate: Thu, 24 Nov 2016
Source: Daily Observer, The (Pembroke, CN ON)
Copyright: 2016 Pembroke Daily Observer
Contact: http://www.thedailyobserver.ca/letters
Website: http://www.thedailyobserver.ca/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2615
Author: Sean Chase
Page: A1

TARGETING IMPAIRED DRIVERS

OPP Festive RIDE campaign now underway, continues until Jan. 7

The Ontario Provincial Police launched its annual Festive "Reduce
Impaired Driving Everywhere" (RIDE) campaign Monday announcing
officers will not only target drivers impaired by alcohol, but illegal
drugs as well.

The provincial police force is hoping for a successful campaign in
which every single driver it pulls over in a Festive RIDE stop is a
sober, drug-free driver. Briefing town council on the program Monday
night, Inspector Mark Wolfe, detachment commander of the Upper Ottawa
Valley OPP detachment said the ultimate goal is to ensure safe roads
this holiday season by intercepting or deterring impaired drivers.

"As a detachment, our frontline officers have always dedicated
themselves to reducing impaired driving through enforcement and
visibility by way of proactive strategies such as RIDE spot checks,"
said Wolfe.

During the 2015 Festive RIDE, the detachment conducted 143 RIDE spot
checks investing 170 hours (57 spot checks in the Town of Petawawa
alone). During that period, officers spoke to 4,300 drivers and
charged three with alcohol-impaired driving offences. Since January,
the detachment has set up a further 260 RIDE spot checks arresting 34
drivers. In Petawawa, 69 spot checks have been done with 12 charges
laid. The detachment also laid charges against two drivers suspected
of impairment by drugs.

"The OPP is determined to dispel the myth that driving while high on
drugs cannot be detected by police," said Wolfe. "It is not a safe
alternative to driving under the influence of alcohol." While the
federal government has pledged to legalize marijuana next spring, the
province has already passed legislation that carries penalties for
drug-impaired driving that match those already in place for
alcohol-impaired drivers. It's a crime the OPP is taking seriously.
Last year, the OPP investigated 65 road collisions in which a
drug-impaired driver was found to be the primary cause of the crash.
So far this year, the same factor was behind 59 such collisions on OPP
patrolled roads. This year, 35 people have died in alcohol or
drug-related crashes.

The campaign ends on Jan. 7. Wolfe said that his detachment will
continue to employ messaging and analytics to combat impaired driving.
This campaign will see them be engaged in a unified effort with the
Garrison Petawawa Military Police, Deep River Police Service and the
Ministry of Transportation, he added.

"Our focus will be strategic so that we can remove as many drivers who
choose to get behind the wheel after consuming alcohol or using a
drug," said Wolfe.

The inspector warned that RIDE spot checks will be deployed every 12
hours and that police shifts will set up in areas over represented in
driving complaints and impaired driving incidents as reflected by the
data.

"Our officers will also set up on roadways that can be used to avoid
RIDE spot checks," Wolfe added.

He implored members of the public to report, either to 911 or
Crimestoppers, any chronic impaired driver. If you know of someone who
is leaving a party or a function and should not be driving, Wolfe
suggested you call that person a taxi. Even if a person feels they are
okay to get behind the wheel, officers can issue a warn range
suspension to drivers whose blood-alcohol concentration falls within
the 0.05 to 0.08 range.

Calling drinking and driving a crime that brings with it "terrible,
tragic" circumstances, Coun. Treena Lemay, chairwoman of the Petawawa
Police Services Board, added that community surveys conducted in the
town continue to show that residents are anxious about the plague of
impaired driving.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Matt