Disturbing increase in road deaths due to impaired driving

OPP officers from West Region conduct checks for impaired driving as part of their Festive R.I.D.E campaign on Nov. 17, 2022. (Jenn Basa/CTV News London)

On Thursday, the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) West Region started the annual Festive R.I.D.E (Reduce Impaired Driving Everywhere) campaign.

Police say there has been a “disturbing increase” in deaths due to impaired driving in 2022.

Impaired driving remains to be one of the leading criminal causes of death in Canada, police said.

As of Nov. 13, 27 people have died in collisions in the West Region due to impaired driving caused by alcohol or drugs. Last year there were 15 deaths in the region.

“That’s 27 people who won't be joining their friends and family for holiday parties, they won't be there Christmas morning,” said Ross Stuart, acting inspector West Region Traffic OPP.

This initiative is personal for people like Sara Neusteter, whose 54 -year-old mother was killed when they were hit head-on by a drunk driver in June 2014.

Neusteter said the impaired driver was three-times over the legal limit that evening.

“Our offender stole a part of our lives, a part that we will never get back,” she said.

Neusteter suffered severe injuries including several scars, a broken jaw and a lacerated liver, to name a few. She has had to undergo 15 surgeries due to the collision.

Now she is working with M.A.D.D. and is pleading to drivers everywhere to not drive impaired not just this holiday season but every day.

“My daughters were robbed of the opportunity to meet their grandma and be loved by her,” the mother of two told CTV News. “They will never know what it felt like to be hugged and loved by their grandma.”

As part of the campaign Neusteter is handing out red ribbons as a symbol of committing to driving sober. 

Impaired driving charges has also gone up this year. The OPP said they have laid 1,978 related charges in 2022 — while officers have responded to 402 impaired driving collisions in 2022.

This year’s campaign runs from Nov. 17 to Jan. 2, 2023.

During this time, the public can expect an increased OPP presence on the roads as officers conduct checks.

Stuart said the OPP will be enforcing the Mandatory Alcohol Screening Law.

This law allows police to demand a roadside breath sample from any driver without having reasonable suspicion that a driver is impaired.

Stuart encourages the public to plan a safe way to get home this holiday season, through a designated sober driver, using a taxi service or transit.

During last year’s 2021-2022 Festive R.I.D.E campaign, OPP officers laid 1,188 impaired driving charges and issued 237 warn range suspensions.