Almost daily, the Ontario Provincial Police in Essex County charge someone with impaired driving, but Acting Superintendent Jamie Smith isn't so sure that more people are drinking and driving. He thinks police officers are just catching more of them.
"We're catching it before tragedies happen, but our luck will run out at some point," said Smith.
Compared to last January, impaired driving charges jumped 60 per cent. Officers laid 757 impaired driving charges last month, an increase from 281 in January 2025.
Speeding charges are also up, by 169.4 per cent, while seatbelt charges have jumped from a single charge laid a year ago to 21 in January 2026.
Smith said there are more officers on the road, focused on seatbelt use, distracted driving, and speeding. While police crack down on those behaviours, they're finding more drivers impaired behind the wheel.
"If we're doing more traffic stops and having more interactions with the public, we're going to find more of this stuff," said Smith. "We've got a heavy focus on that right now with traffic initiatives and RIDE programs."
During the recent Festive RIDE program, Essex County topped all other counties in the West Region with 269 impaired driving charges. Across Ontario, the number was 1,268.
Smith isn't sure if stiffer penalties are the answer. Penalties have increased in recent years, but police are still finding drivers impaired on the road.
"The stiffer penalties have been out there, and we're not seeing a real change," he said. "Some other countries have zero per cent alcohol thresholds -- perhaps that is where we need to go with it."
