Six charged after 500 cars stopped for RIDE check in St. Catharines and Port Colborne

Niagara Regional Police Traffic Enforcement Unit conducted a R.I.D.E spot check in the cities of St. Catharines and Port Colborne, where out of hundreds of vehicles stopped,  three drivers were arrested and another three had their licenses suspended. Both groups faced similar consequences with having their vehicles towed and seized for several days.

On Friday (Aug. 4) 2023, police ran an overnight R.I.D.E. spot check where they reportedly stopped 500 vehicles and inquired if any of the drivers had consumed alcohol or drugs earlier that evening.

Police reported that 13 drivers were required to provide a sample of their breath for analysis.

Three of the selected drivers that had provided a sample, exceeded 80 milligrams of alcohol per 100 milliliters of blood and as a result failed the screening.

According to police, the three drivers were arrested and charged with impaired driving and their vehicles were towed and seized for a week.

Three different drivers also provided samples of their breath that registered in the “alert” range, meaning their blood alcohol concentration was between 50 milligrams of alcohol and 80 milligrams of alcohol per 100 milliliters of blood.  All three drivers had their licenses suspended for three days.

Niagara Police say they continue to stay committed to reducing impaired driving offences through education and the apprehension of offenders through enforcement programs like R.I.D.E.

Officers say impaired driving remains the leading criminal offence causing death in Canada. This initiative has been made possible, in part, because of grant funding from the Ministry of the Solicitor General as part of the Reduce Impaired Driving Everywhere (R.I.D.E) program.