Weekend RIDE checks lead to impaired charges for two NOTL drivers

On Saturday, Feb. 11, Niagara Regional Police traffic enforcement unit members conducted RIDE spot checks in St. Catharines and Niagara Falls.

Officers stopped about 400 vehicles and inquired if any of the drivers had consumed any alcohol or drugs earlier in the evening. In total, 20 drivers were required to provide a sample of their breath for analysis.

On 9:29 p.m., the driver of a 2023 Chevrolet Equinox was stopped in a RIDE spot check in St. Catharines, and indicated they had recently left a local restaurant where they had alcohol with dinner. Officers directed the 53-year-old resident of Niagara-on-the-Lake to the side of the road and conducted a n impaired driving investigation, asking the driver to provide a breath sample, which resulted in a blood alcohol concentration greater than 80 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood. As a result, the driver was arrested and charged with impaired operation of a motor vehicle.

Tt 11:50 p.m. as officers at a RIDE spot check in Niagara Falls saw a 2014 Toyota Rav 4 abruptly turn into a nearby parking lot just before the spot check. The driver, a 64-year-old resident of Niagara-on-the-Lake was approached and spoken to by officers who observed signs of impairment. The driver provide a breath sample with a reading that was greater than 80 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood, and was arrested and charged with impaired operation of a motor vehicle.

Additionally, of the 20 drivers who provided a breath sample, five were determined to be in the “alert” range, meaning their blood alcohol concentration was between 50 and 80 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood. All five drivers had their driver's licences suspended for three days in accordance with the Ontario Highway Traffic Act.

Three tickets were also issued, one to a novice driver with a blood alcohol concentration above zero; one for driving without a valid licence; and one with having a child passenger not properly secured.

The NRP remains committed to reducing impaired driving offences through education and the apprehension of offender’s byway of enforcement programs such as RIDE, the police news release says, and impaired driving remains the leading criminal offence causing death in Canada.