Some people just aren’t getting the message.

In the first two weeks of the Festive Season Enhanced R.I.D.E. Program, York police handed out twice as many 12-hour suspensions and more impaired-related charges over the same period last year.

And they’ve stopped 12,500 fewer vehicles.

“Some drivers continue to make poor choices by drinking and driving,” police said in a statement.

During weeks 1 and 2, police stopped 21,868 vehicles, administered 369 roadside tests, suspended 51 drivers for 12 hours, and handed out 11 impaired-related charges and nine other criminal charges.

Last year, 34,357 vehicles were stopped and 291 roadside tests were administered. Twenty-five drivers received 12-hour suspensions, and 10 impaired-related charges and seven other criminal charges were handed out.

R.I.D.E. spot checks are not the only tool police have to get impaired drivers off the streets. Since the seasonal campaign kicked off, regular duty officers have made 28 impaired driving arrests.

Yet more arrests have resulted from calls by the public about suspected drunk drivers to 911 under the Safe Roads…Your Call program, police said.

One motorist called 911 just after 9 p.m. on Dec. 8 to let police know he was following what he believed to be an impaired driver travelling eastbound on Rutherford Rd. from Islington Ave. The driver swerved all over the road, almost hitting a hydro pole at one point, police said.

Officers caught up with the driver at his home where he was arrested.

Sukhminder Bola, 39, of Vaughan was charged with care and control of a motor vehicle while impaired, failing to provide a breath sample and driving while disqualified.

Since the Safe Roads…Your Call program began in June 2007, more than 3,270 calls have resulted in 481 arrests.

Vaughan Today
In print: December 19, 2008, page 11
Online: December 20, 2008 [link]