Thunder Bay police launch 2021 Festive RIDE as impaired driving arrests remain near record levels

Thunder Bay police are stepping up their efforts to curb impaired driving on city streets over the holiday season.

Police on Friday kicked off their annual Festive RIDE program, which will run over the next few weeks, into the New Year.

And the number of impaired drivers in the city doesn't appear to be falling, Acting Traffic Sgt. Salvatore Carchidi said.

"This year, unfortunately, we've already surpassed 2019's numbers," Carchidi said during the Festive RIDE campaign's media launch on Balmoral Street. "In 2019, we had 169 impaired drivers, and that number rose to 299 in 2020, which is very upsetting to us."

Carchidi said he hoped 2020's record-setting total was an "anomaly," but as of Friday, police had charged 220 impaired drivers in 2021.

"We're on pace for that near-300 number again," he said.

Carchidi said police are charging impaired drivers at all hours of the day, seven days a week.

Opioids a factor

"Impaired driving can result in fatal collisions or any collisions, and that can put a true hardship on any family member during the holiday season, especially," Carchidi said. "We want to ensure those drivers are off the roadway during the holiday season."

And, Carchidi said, police tend to see an increase in impaired driving charges during the Festive RIDE program, as it allows them to conduct more checks during the holiday season.

He added that police see about a 50/50 split between drivers who are charged for driving while impaired by drugs, and those charged for driving while impaired by alcohol.

"I think the opioid crisis obviously extends to that," he said. "The people addicted to drugs need to traverse, and unfortunately they don't choose a safe means of doing so. So their addiction clouds their judgment and allows them to drive."

However, he said, police have increased their training, and officers are equipped to spot drivers who are impaired by drugs.

As for the region, OPP Sgt. Mike Golding said officers haven't seen an increase in impaired driving on northwestern Ontario highways this year.

OPP had responded to 386 impaired driving incidents in the northwest as of October 2021.

In 2020, OPP responded to 406 impaired driving incidents, which was down from 2019's 477.

The number of actual OPP charges may be different, as the OPP system tracks all impaired driving incidents, even if no charge is laid (say, for example, a person who's involved in a fatal collision while driving impaired; they wouldn't be charged, but the crash would still be classified as an impaired driving incident in the OPP system).

However, Ontario-wide, Golding said OPP have investigated more than 9,500 impaired driving collisions this year, and 29 deaths related to impaired driving.

Plan ahead

Golding encouraged people to make a plan prior to going out and consuming alcohol.

"We have to get the message out ... that people have to make these decisions prior to going out," Golding said Friday. "Make the decision while you're still able to make a conscious, correct decision."

The OPP launched their Festive RIDE program earlier this week, and officers have been out "24-7" across Ontario, including in the Thunder Bay district, since, Golding said.

He said drivers should expect to come across a RIDE check at all hours of the day.

"Could be a middle of the day, could be a middle of the night," he said. "Could be in the morning."

"There's people out there that consume alcohol at all times of the day and just don't stop, Golding said. "You'd be surprised at some of the vehicle stops we have early in the morning. Transport drivers that have been drinking all night, and it's it's scary to think that they're driving across Canada in that sort of condition, but it happens.

"And it happens right here in Thunder Bay."