Festive RIDE gets two drinking-driving charges last week

December 18, 2014 · 0 Comments

Caledon OPP conducted 30 Reduce Impaired Driving Everywhere (RIDE) spot checks last week as part of its holiday season campaign.
These spot checks, set up at various places around town, resulted in two charges being laid for drinking and driving offences.
The first incident was Dec. 8 at about 12:15 p.m. in the area of Regional Road 50 and Queensgate Boulevard in Bolton. The officers spoke to a female driver and determined that she was under the influence of alcohol. They demanded she produce a sample of her breath into a roadside screening device, and she registered a fail and was transported to Detachment. The 51-year-old woman from Caledon was charged with driving with more than the legal limit of alcohol in her system.
Early the following morning, they charged another driver. This spot check was in the area of Kennedy Road and Abbotts Way Lane in SouthFields Village shortly after 1 a.m. Officers noticed a driver hesitated entering the spot check area by allowing other vehicles to go ahead. Once the area was clear, the officers observed as the driver made a U-turn to avoid the spot check. They went after the vehicle and got it to stop. Upon speaking with the driver, the officers determined he was displaying signs of impairment. The man was arrested and transported to detachment for testing. Once there, he refused to provide a sample of his breath. The 43-year-old man from Etobicoke was arrested and charged with impaired operation of a motor vehicle and failing to provide a breath sample.
Additionally, last week’s spot checks saw 20 drivers take breath tests a pass them. One driver was handed a three-day licence suspension.
Police remind motorists that drinking and driving is a deadly combination. One drink can reduce one’s ability to concentrate and react to things that happen suddenly while driving. The more alcohol in a person’s blood, the more difficulty they have judging distances and reacting to sudden hazards on the road. To make matters even worse, their vision may become blurred.