On Friday July 5, 2024, members of the Niagara Regional Police Service (NRPS) conducted R.I.D.E. spot checks in the Cities of Port Colborne and Niagara Falls.
Throughout the night, officers stopped approximately 600 vehicles and inquired if any of the drivers had consumed any alcohol or drugs earlier in the evening. In total, 24 drivers had to provide a sample of their breath for analysis. 3 drivers were arrested for Impaired Operation – Exceed Blood Alcohol Concentration, while one driver had their license suspended for three days after their breath sample resulted in an “Alert”.
One driver provided a false name, was arrested for Obstruct Peace Officer. Upon learning the driver’s identity, police charged the driver with 3 counts of Driving While Under Criminal Code Suspension. Being a class G1 Driver, the accompanying driver was required to provide a breath sample and registered a Fail. The vehicle was then towed and seized for a period of 45 days.
In addition, 7 Provincial Offence Notices were issued to drivers and passengers for various offences under the Highway Traffic Act.
The Niagara Regional Police Service remains committed to reducing impaired driving offences through education and the apprehension of offenders through enforcement programs like R.I.D.E.
Impaired driving remains the leading criminal offence causing death in Canada.
This initiative has been made possible, in part, as a result of grant funding from the Ministry of the Solicitor General as part of the Reduce Impaired Driving Everywhere (R.I.D.E) program