Carolyn Swinson has two important reasons why people should never drive while impaired; her late father and her son, both of whom were killed on separate occasions by drivers who chose to get behind the wheel after drinking alcohol.
Speaking candidly during the launch of the 2022-2023 Festive R.I.D.E. (Reduce Impaired Driving Everywhere) Campaign Thursday morning in Mississauga, Swinson, who is Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) Toronto’s director of victim services, said not a day goes by that she doesn’t think about the loved ones she lost to impaired driving.
She urged people to think before they get behind the wheel this holiday season and to be responsible for their actions.
“There are still way too many deaths and injuries after people choose to drive after taking alcohol or drugs,” Swinson said.
This year’s Festival R.I.D.E. Campaign, which is led by the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police (OACP), is set to run for seven weeks from Nov. 17 to Jan. 2, 2023.
During this annual initiative, OPP officers and police partners from across the province will be holding dozens of roadside enforcement programs, while raising awareness about the deadly consequences of operating a vehicle while impaired by drugs and/or alcohol.
Today marks the start of the #FestiveRIDE campaign across Ontario. Thanks to @MADDldn and members of the media for attending this morning's launch. From today until January 2nd, drivers can expect to see an increased OPP presence as officers conduct RIDE initiatives 24/7. ^dr pic.twitter.com/tHlvffd8gX
— OPP West Region (@OPP_WR) November 17, 2022
Chief Jim MacSween, of York Regional Police Service, said this holiday season is expected to be an “extra special” one as the pandemic has kept people apart for the last few years.
With that in mind, he said the last thing anyone wants to see is people being killed by “horrific and preventable” impaired driving tragedies.
McSween, who is OACP’s first vice-president, said police officers across Ontario will be working hard around the clock to ensure everyone has a “happy and safe holiday season by keeping our roadways safe.”
“Getting these (impaired) drivers off the roads is our goal during the holiday season, and throughout the year,” he said, adding the OPP is especially concerned with recent data from MADD that found the impaired driving rate increased 7.1 per cent in 2021 following a two-year decline.
So far in 2022, 51 people have died on OPP-patrolled roads in collisions that involved a driver who consumed alcohol and/or drugs.
McSween said preventing “needless serious injuries and deaths” is a “shared responsibility” and urged drivers to not get behind the wheel if they have consumed alcohol or drugs. He also called on all Ontarians to report those suspects of operating a motor vehicle while impaired to the police.
“Impaired driving is a criminal offense. Impaired driving ruins lives,” said McSween.
During the launch event, Chief Supt. Rohan Thompson, of the OPP’s Highway Safety Division, commended the more than 20,000 people who have called the police so far this year to report suspected impaired drivers, adding he’s “proud of every citizen who cares enough about keeping people safe on our roads.”
With the Festival R.I.D.E. Campaign getting underway, Thompson said “stopping impaired drivers from taking lives on our roads can be no less than a full, all-in collaboration between the police, our road safety partners, and Ontario citizens.”
He also noted that police have the right to demand a breath sample from any lawfully stopped driver, even if there is no suspicion of impairment or evidence that a driver is impaired or has consumed alcohol.
“Motorists are reminded that drug recognition evaluation and standard field sobriety testing officers will also be on the roads and remain an effective measure for detecting drug impaired drivers,” he said, reminding young and novice commercial drivers that under the law they are prohibited from having any alcohol or drugs in their system.
In a news release, the OPP noted that impaired driving remains one of the leading criminal causes of death in Canada and encouraged Ontarians to “treat impaired driving as the dangerous crime that it is.”
Speaking during today’s campaign launch, Mississauga-Streetsville MPP Nina Tangri said it serves as an “annual reminder that no one should drive while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.”
Tangri also said today’s event is an opportunity to “raise awareness about the risks and the potential tragedy of this dangerous criminal activity.”
“Our message today is that it is never okay to drive if you are impaired by drugs or alcohol. Plan ahead if you are going to activities where you may consume alcohol or drugs, leave the car behind and catch a ride with a designated driver or take public transit or call a cab or rideshare program to get back home safely,” she urged.
During last year’s Festive R.I.D.E. Campaign, OPP officers conducted a total of 8,374 R.I.D.E. initiatives, laid 1,188 impaired driving charges, and issued 237 warn-range suspensions.
