Manitoulin OPP Festive RIDE results
Festive Reduce Impaired Driving Everywhere (RIDE) roadside checkpoints conducted by the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) have become a familiar part of the holiday season and an effective countermeasure to the road safety issue of impaired driving. Impaired driving remains the leading cause of criminal death in Canada.
One drink can reduce your ability to concentrate and slow your reaction time. The more alcohol in your blood, the more your ability to operate a motor vehicle is affected. Drivers who blow over the legal limit of .08 or who refuse a breath test will have their driver’s licences suspended immediately for 90 days under Ontario’s Administrative Drivers Licence Suspension Program. This 90-day suspension is separate and distinct from any criminal charges. Immediate roadside suspensions of driver’s licences are issued by the OPP to drivers who register a blood alcohol concentration in the “Warn Range” of .05 to .08. Offenders will not be allowed to drive from that point on for a minimum of three days.
The Manitoulin Detachment of the OPP conducted the annual Festive RIDE campaign from Monday, November 23, 2015 to Saturday, January 2, 2016. During the 2015 campaign, 2,264 vehicle drivers were checked by police. Of those drivers checked, two were found to be impaired by the consumption of alcohol and charged accordingly. One driver was issued a roadside “Warn Range” suspension. Three vehicle occupants were charged under provisions of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act.
While the OPP does increase the number of RIDE stops over the holidays, RIDE checks continue throughout the year. The OPP is reminding motorists that there is no safe amount of alcohol consumption when driving.
OPP traffic stop catches impaired driver
At 9 pm on Thursday, January 14, a member of the Manitoulin Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) conducted a traffic stop on Highway 6 at the Sheguiandah First Nation. The driver was arrested after he failed the approved screening device test for alcohol on the roadside.
As a result of this investigation, a 40-year-old male of Sagamok Anishnawbek First Nation has been charged with impaired driving and exceeding the legal limit of alcohol in his blood, contrary to section 253(1) (a) & 253(1) (b) of the Criminal Code of Canada, and care or control of a motor vehicle with liquor readily available, contrary to section 32(1) of the Liquor License Act of Ontario.
The accused is scheduled to appear at the Ontario Court of Justice in Wikwemikong on February 17, 2016.
The OPP is reminding motorists that there is no safe amount of alcohol consumption when driving. Anyone who suspects a driver is driving while impaired is urged to call police by dialing 9-1-1 immediately.
OPP and OFSC launch Provincial
Snowmobile Safety Week
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) and the Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs (OFSC) are launching Provincial Snowmobile Safety Week (January 16 to 24) with a message for snowmobilers to focus on their own personal safety and the well-being of others.
Riding within the law and making smart choices is the only way to ensure an enjoyable ride that gets you home safely to your family at the end of the day.
With the campaign underway, the OPP and OFSC are reminding snowmobile enthusiasts to stay off the lakes and waterways for the time-being as conditions are generally poor in many parts of the province.
Stay on OFSC Prescribed Trails and don’t ride impaired, speed or ride after dark.
Last winter, the OPP investigated 15 snowmobile-related fatalities, a decrease from the previous two winters (21 in the 2013-14 season and 18 in the 2012-13 season). While the OPP and OFSC are relieved to see fewer lives lost, data clearly indicates that riding impaired, speeding and riding after dark continue to be major contributing factors in snowmobiling incidents: 58 percent of snowmobile-related fatalities involved alcohol or drugs; 57 percent involved speeding or riding too fast for conditions; and 58 percent occurred at dusk or after dark.
In particular, the OPP and OFSC are looking to middle-aged males to ride with extra care and control this winter as 87 percent of last season’s snowmobile-related fatalities involved male riders and 58 percent were riders or passengers between the ages of 35 and 54.
The campaign is also a great opportunity to caution all snowmobilers about avoiding road running wherever possible. Where snowmobiling on the side of a public road is legal and necessary to access trails, you should always: adjust your speed to the conditions; watch out for parked vehicles and motor vehicles emerging from driveways; always give motor vehicles the right of way; be extra cautious when approaching intersections; observe and respect all traffic signs; and slow down wherever snow banks obstruct your view.
The motoring public is also being reminded to watch for snowmobiles along roads or those that cross roads at snowmobile trails.
The OPP is committed to saving lives on Ontario’s highways, trails and waterways through the reduction of preventable injury and death. Initiatives are developed and delivered through the Provincial Traffic Safety Program.
The OFSC is committed to proactive leadership in promoting safe, responsible riding, on and off Ontario snowmobile trails, by building safer snowmobiling knowledge, attitudes and behaviours through rider education, safety legislation development and enforcement.
