Ontario Provincial Police say they saw more impaired driving this year compared with last year, and more impaired driving crashes.
OPP Sgt. Kerry Schmidt says there was a 16 per cent rise in impaired driving occurrences and a 10 per cent increase in collisions involving impaired drivers.
He says OPP officers have laid more than 10,000 impaired driving charges so far in 2023, 215 of them in the last week.
10,000+ #ImpairedDriving charges laid by the OPP this year, 215 charges in the last week alone.
— OPP Highway Safety Division (@OPP_HSD) December 27, 2023
397 people have died in road crashes this year, and 49 of them died as a result of an alcohol or drug related crash. #BeABetterDriver.^ks pic.twitter.com/MT9r2w8ivv
Schmidt says 397 people died in crashes this year, 49 of them in collisions involving alcohol or drug impairment.
He says the province hasn't seen 400 fatal crashes in a year since 2004.
OPP are responsible for patrolling Ontario's highways, among other policing duties.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 27, 2023.
The Canadian Press