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How many people were stopped in recent South Simcoe festive RIDE blitzes?

Number 'shows the commitment the service has to reduce impaired driving,' police board chair says
South Simcoe Police RIDE week 1
A South Simcoe Police officer conducts a RIDE stop.

Fewer drivers found themselves on the South Simcoe Police Service’s naughty list this past holiday season.

Chief John Van Dyke provided an update on the results of the annual festive Reduce Impaired Driving Everywhere (RIDE) campaign during the board’s monthly meeting in their newly renovated space in the InnPower building in Innisfil on Jan. 22.

As part of the campaign, which ran from Nov. 28 to Jan. 1, the service stopped 4,539 vehicles, an increase over the 3,200 stopped in 2023, but laid fewer impaired charges.

“It certainly wasn’t for lack of work or effort of being out there, but if it’s not there, it’s not there,” the chief said. “That’s good.”

He pointed to more people using ride-sharing services or public transit, with Innisfil having an on-demand service and Bradford running regular buses, while at the same time noting there are fewer bars in the communities.

During the operational update for December, Deputy Chief Sheryl Sutton explained the number of impaired offences were actually down to 36 for December 2024, compared to 51 in December 2023.

However, the chief also cautioned that statistics can sometimes be cyclical, meaning the next campaign might not have such positive numbers.

Recently acclaimed board chair Chris Gariepy called it “a shame” that officers need to pull over and test so many people, but also noted “it’s necessary.”

“I’m glad to see the number of stops up,” he said. “It shows the commitment the service has to reduce impaired driving.”

While officers regularly crack down on impaired driving, Sutton explained that for less serious offences, officers tend to take a more educational approach during the holiday season, which is one reason why provincial offence charges decreased to 221 in December from 390 in November.

“Our officers are not grinches in December,” she said.

South Simcoe's 2024 festive RIDE results

  • 4,539 — vehicles stopped
  • 88 — roadside alcohol tests
  • Three — drug tests
  • 11 — impaired driving charges
  • 12 — charges for blood alcohol content exceeding 0.08
  • Seven — Provincial Offences Act charges for marijuana
  • Four — novice driving charges for the presence of drugs or alcohol
  • Four — Liquor Licence Act charges
  • 53 — Highway Traffic Act charges
  • 10 — three-day licence suspensions
  • Eight — 90-day licence suspensions
  • Two — unrelated charges under the Criminal Code of Canada
  • One — immigration warrant executed (transferred to Canada Border Services Agency)


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