Saturday, January 5, 2002

The Sault O.P.P. had a quiet night and have nothing to report.


FESTIVE R.I.D.E. DRAWS TO A CLOSE IN WEEK 5
Northeastern Ontario

Week 5 of Festive R.I.D.E. (December 27 - January 2) saw North East Region officers check 20,951 vehicles - a number very close to last years. Eleven people were charged with impaired, over 80 or refusal. Twenty-eight drivers received 12-Hour Suspensions while 11 others received Administrative Driver's Licence Suspensions. One person was killed in a crash while another 36 people were injured in a further 22 collisions.

Officers on patrol and at checkpoints in many of the small northern towns reported that at times there were more taxis on the road than personal vehicles. In North Bay officers checked over 1,000 drivers on News Year's Eve and issued only one 12-Hour Suspension.

Over the entire 5-week-long Festive R.I.D.E. traffic safety initiative, officers in the North East Region checked 122,373 vehicles up from 87,417 in 2000. Drivers were issued a total of 1