NEWS RELEASE
ONTARIO PROVINCIAL POLICE
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EAST ALGOMA - The East Algoma Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) conduct Reduce Impaired Driving Everywhere (RIDE) campaigns throughout the entire year. OPP officers work around the clock, conducting RIDE check stops across the North East Region. These enforcement efforts, combined with the help of all citizens, to intervene when they suspect that someone is driving, or about to drive after consuming alcohol or drugs, will prevent innocent lives being lost.
Police remind the motoring public to be mindful when approaching a RIDE location. Officer safety is paramount as they are standing in live lanes of traffic. When you see the flashing lights, slow down, proceed with caution, and allow the officers a safe distance from your vehicle.
With RIDE stops underway, the OPP is determined to dispel the myth that driving while high on drugs cannot be detected by police and is a safe alternative to driving under the influence of alcohol.
Through the OPP Drug Evaluation and Classification Program, officers are trained as Drug Recognition Evaluators (DRU), giving them the authority and tools needed to detect drug-impaired drivers. A charge of impaired by drug involves all drugs, be it prescription, over-the-counter, and those that are illegal.
Impaired by drug is a crime under the Criminal Code of Canada (CC) and drivers who are charged with that offence are subject to the same penalties as those who are charged with driving while impaired by alcohol.
Should you observe a suspected impaired driver, please dial 911 or contact the Ontario Provincial Police at 1-888-310-1122.
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