Ottawa police rolling out impaired driving awareness lawn signs

Ottawa police are launching a month-long awareness campaign which will feature signs reading “impaired driver caught here.” CTV’s Katie Griffin reports.

Ottawa drivers should expect to see more signs along the roads than usual this spring as police kick off a new impaired driving prevention campaign.

As part of a Spring RIDE (Reduce Impaired Driving Everywhere) campaign, the Ottawa Police Service will be installing lawn signs reading “impaired driver caught here” at locations where impaired drivers have been previously arrested.

“These signs are intended to make the scope of the issue visible in neighbourhoods and support deterrence through clear, public messaging,” Ottawa police wrote in a news release on Wednesday.

“The campaign offers a powerful visual reminder of how frequently impaired driving occurs across the city, reinforcing that it is happening in our communities.”

Sgt. Amy Gagnon says Ottawa police want people to be speaking about the dangers of impaired driving.

“People will be able to see these in their daily travels, on their way to school, on their way to work, on their way to pick up their kids, on their way to do groceries, on the way out to a restaurant,” Gagnon said.

Between Jan. 1 and April 30, officers charged 288 drivers with impaired driving, which Ottawa police say is a 22 per cent increase over the same period last year. One fatal collision was also linked to impaired driving during that period.

“We can deplore the driver’s actions with words such as reckless, thoughtless, reprehensible, uncaring, but these words are woefully inadequate to address such behaviour in the eyes of those who see and deal with the carnage and tragedies that are left in the hearts and lives of those who victimized by these offenders,” Valerie Keyes, president of MADD Ottawa, said during a news conference on Wendesday.

Police will continue regular RIDE enforcement programs during the campaign.

With files from CTV’s Katie Griffin.

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