OPP lay nearly 600 impaired driving charges during holiday RIDE checks

(Scott Miller / CTV London)

ORILLIA, Ont. -- Provincial police say 593 impaired driving charges were laid during the annual holiday season crackdown on impaired driving.

The OPP says it is disappointed to see there was little change from last year, when 587 impaired driving charges were laid during the same period.

A total of 485 warn range suspensions were also issued during the RIDE campaign between Nov. 24 and Jan. 2 this year compared to 504 warning suspensions during the 2013-2014 campaign.

One person died in an impaired-related collision on a provincially patrolled road on Dec. 20, while three people died in impaired-related crashes over the 2013-2014 campaign.

OPP say officers conducted more than 8,000 RIDE check stops throughout the province this season.