Testing XSL
file://e:\websites\public\12571880\12571880_OttawaPoliceService\en\rotatingimages\rotatingImageData.xml
defaultInterior
Enforcement continues to address impaired driving
Back to SearchFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tuesday, May 7, 2024 10:45 am
(Ottawa) — The Ottawa Police Service Impaired Countermeasures Unit continues to see a consistent increase in impaired drivers on our roads.
Driving while impaired, more commonly known as “drinking and driving”, also includes driving under the influence of any drugs.
While cannabis is legal in Canada, consuming it and driving remains illegal. There is no circumstance where it is acceptable to consume cannabis or other drugs and get behind the wheel. Decisions like these not only endanger yourself as a driver, but everyone around you, including other drivers, pedestrians, cyclists and more.
In 2023, Ottawa tragically lost 13 residents due to collisions where alcohol and/or drugs were believed to be a factor. 885 persons were charged with impaired driving related offences in 2023. These numbers are consistently increasing, year after year, having already seen 260 drivers charged in the first four months of 2024.
“Officers will continue to proactively patrol Ottawa’s streets. If you are pulled over for a traffic stop, an officer may ask you to provide a sample into an approved screening device,” said Acting Sergeant Amy Gagnon, with the Impaired Countermeasures Unit. “Under Canada’s Mandatory Alcohol Screening (MAS) law, drivers must comply with a police officer’s demand for a sample, even in the absence of any suspicion that they have consumed alcohol. Officers are also trained to request drivers to submit to a series of roadside tests if they suspect that the driver is impaired by drugs.”
Help us keep our roads safe; if you are impaired, do not get behind the wheel; there are many alternative ways to commute.
If you suspect a driver to be impaired, please call 9-1-1.
- 30 -
Through the Community Safety Data portal data.ottawapolice.ca, members of the public can view, download, and interact with data released by the Ottawa Police Service.