NEWS RELEASE
SOUTH SIMCOE POLICE
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South Simcoe Police are only two weeks into their Festive R.I.D.E. campaign and the results are disappointing. Officers have stopped less than 2,000 cars in the annual road safety campaign, but have removed 12 people from local roads for impaired driving. These drivers have all had their licence suspended for 90 days, vehicles impounded and will be appearing in criminal court charged with either impaired driving, driving while over .08 mgs and in some cases, both.
Another 16 drivers have had their licence suspended after being required to conduct a roadside screening test and registering in the warn range. If you register a blood alcohol concentration from .05 to .08 (known as the “warn range”), you will receive an immediate driver's licence suspension.
For a first occurrence, you will be suspended for three days. For a second occurrence in a five-year period, you will be immediately suspended for seven days and you must undergo a remedial alcohol-education program. For a third or subsequent time in a five-year period, you will be immediately suspended for 30 days and you must undergo a remedial alcohol-treatment program and have an ignition interlock condition placed on your licence for six months. If you choose not to install an ignition interlock device, you must not drive until the condition is removed from your licence.
Officers have also charged eight people with drug related offences under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. Drugs and any amount of alcohol together can have dangerous effects. Side effects such as dizziness, blurred vision, nausea or drowsiness will affect your driving. The Criminal Code and Highway Traffic Act sanctions apply to drivers impaired by alcohol or a drug.
In circumstances involving possible impairment by drugs or a combination of alcohol and a drug, police can require a driver to perform physical co-ordination tests and submit to a drug evaluation, and then require a driver to provide blood, oral fluid or urine samples. If you fail or refuse to comply with any of these demands, you will be charged under the Criminal Code.
Reduce Impaired Driving Everywhere (R.I.D.E.) is an enforcement campaign which originally started in 1977 as Reduce Impaired Driving in Etobicoke. The program is now a provincial campaign which is lead by the police community and involves spot checks where vehicles are stopped and drivers checked for impairment.
Sadly, impaired driving remains the leading criminal cause of death in Canada. South Simcoe Police are determined to reduce this statistic through year-round R.I.D.E. programs on our roadways, waterways and snowmobile trails.
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