OPP in eastern Ontario laid 150 impaired driving charges during Festive RIDE season

A glass of whiskey with ice, car keys and police handcuffs. (File photo/AlexRaths/iStock/Getty Images Plus)

Ontario Provincial Police say 150 drivers in eastern Ontario were charged with impaired driving during the annual Festive RIDE (Reduce Impaired Driving Everywhere) season.

OPP officers conducted more than 1,600 RIDE checks across the region between Nov. 20, 2025, and Jan. 1, 2026. Each impaired driving charge comes with an automatic licence suspension of 90 days, and a one-week vehicle impound.

Twenty-eight drivers were given three-day licence suspensions for blowing within the warning range on a roadside screening device.

The Ontario government has introduced stiffer penalties for several vehicular crimes in 2026, including a lifetime driving ban upon conviction of impaired driving causing death.

“While the Festive RIDE campaign has wrapped up for the season, RIDE programs will continue. They can happen anywhere, day or night, seven days week, along major highways, rural roads or downtown streets,” said spokesperson Bill Dickson in a news release.

“While we could be anywhere, we can’t be everywhere. If you suspect someone is driving impaired by drugs or alcohol, call 9-1-1. You could be saving lives.”

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