During the first two weeks of September, six drivers were charged with impaired driving-related offences on Perth County roads.
The Perth County Ontario Provincial Police reported that officers spent over 26 hours focused on detecting impaired drivers and informing the public through their Reduce Impaired Driving Everywhere (RIDE) initiatives from Sept. 1 to Sept. 14.
One RIDE initiative led to a 46-year-old woman from London being charged with operating a vehicle while impaired – blood alcohol concentration (80 plus) and another charge for operating while impaired after she was stopped on Perth Line 20 just before 2 p. m.
According to police, the woman displayed signs of impairment and was also charged with possession of a Schedule I substance and driving with an open container of alcohol in her vehicle.
She was released from custody and is set to appear at the Ontario Court of Justice in Stratford on Oct. 26. Her driver’s licence has been suspended for 90 days, and her vehicle was impounded for a week. The costs related to towing and impounding will be her responsibility, police stated.
A 64-year-old man from Sarnia also faced charges of operation while impaired – blood alcohol concentration (80 plus) following a two-vehicle collision in Listowel on Sunday night. Police were called to the crash shortly after 8:30 p. m. at Main Street West and Wallace Avenue South.
The Sarnia man’s vehicle contained several open containers of alcohol, according to police reports. Fortunately, there were no injuries resulting from the accident.
“Reducing impaired driving through proactive enforcement remains a priority for the Perth County OPP,” department officials said in a statement. “RIDE programs are an effective tool in identifying impaired drivers and promoting road safety within our communities.”
The man was released from custody as well and is scheduled for an appearance at the Ontario Court of Justice in Stratford on Oct. 19. Similar to the London woman, his driver’s licence has been suspended for 90 days, and his vehicle will be impounded for seven days – again at his cost.
Insp. Tyler Stewart, commander of the Perth County OPP detachment, commended officers for their commitment to keeping roads safe.
“I want to commend our officers for their dedication and professionalism with enforcement initiatives,” he said in a release. “Their visibility and proactive enforcement of impaired driving laws help keep our roads safe for everyone who travels throughout Perth County.”
Stewart pointed out that impaired drivers can be found on roads at any time, day or night, any day of the week.
The Perth County OPP encourages anyone who suspects someone is driving under impairment to call 911 immediately. For non-emergency traffic issues, they can be reported by calling OPP at 1-888-310-1122.
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