Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) in Essex County had their hands full again earlier this week.
Week four of the OPP's Festive RIDE (Reduce Impaired Drivers Everywhere) initiative ran from December 11 to December 17, and Essex County topped a list it would rather not.
Weekly Festive RIDE statistics released on Thursday by the OPP showed that Essex County led all other southwestern Ontario counties with 33 arrests for impaired driving.
Across the OPP West Region, there was a total of 184 impaired driving charges laid.
However, Essex County reported only one "warn range" suspension being issued.
The provincial government defines a "warn range" suspension as being imposed on someone who fails a standard field sobriety test and registers a blood-alcohol concentration between 0.05 and 0.079. For a first offence, there is a three-day licence suspension.
Since the Festive RIDE initiative was launched in mid-November for the 2025-2026 holiday season, OPP officers have conducted 2,076 RIDE check events across 13 West Region detachments.
The OPP will continue to set up RIDE checkpoints across the region, 24/7, to keep highways and roads safe from impaired drivers.
If you believe someone may be driving while impaired by alcohol or drugs, the OPP urges you to call 911 to report it. It may save a life.
