If you're planning to party this holiday season, plan ahead for how you're going to get home.
It's one of the messages the Timmins Police, South Porcupine OPP, and the Timmins MADD chapter are delivering for the Festive RIDE campaign, which starts today.
“We’re taking this opportunity to remind people to plan ahead for their travels during the festive season while they’re out celebrating with their friends and families,” said Timmins Police Const. Darren McGaghran.
He said people can expect an influx of RIDE programs across the city, with officers having the tools necessary to enforce impairment by drugs and alcohol.
In the outskirts of the city, and in the smaller communities like Iroquois Falls, Cochrane and Matheson, the OPP will be out as well.
“Our goal, obviously, is to reduce impaired driving. We just want to make sure that everybody gets to where they need to go safe, that they’re not consuming alcohol or drugs,” said South Porcupine OPP Const. Michelle Simard.
If you're going out, she said there's nothing wrong with calling a friend for a ride, calling a taxi, having a designated driver or sleeping over at someone's house.
She also wants drivers to keep an eye out for police on the roads this holiday season.
"Watch for our flashing lights, stop. I know for some people it might seem like a tedious task for them to stop because they need to get there, but our job is to keep everybody safe on the highway,” she said.
Volunteers with the Timmins MADD chapter were also at the launch to support the police services.
Timmins chapter president Amy St. Amour said their message has always been the same, to not drive impaired by drugs or alcohol.
“It’s always been a part of our message, but I think with the recent legalization of it it’s obviously been at the forefront. We’re seeing statistics on drug-impaired drivers where cannabis plays a huge part in some of those crashes, so we are seeing more statistics on it now. It’s more measurable now, but it’s always been a part of our message and always will be,” she said.
If you think you spot an impaired driver on the road, MADD runs Campaign 911 year-round.
For it, people are encouraged to call 911 if you suspect an impaired driver.
Our dispatchers are prepared for those phone calls, our officers are prepared to investigate a potentially impaired driver. You can watch for things like people weaving in and out of lanes, driving too fast, driving too slow, missing signs, stop lights, speed limits - anything that might look out of the ordinary,” she said.
