Waterloo Regional Police launch Festive RIDE campaign

The Waterloo Regional Police Service (WRPS) launched their Festive RIDE program on Friday, which continued through the weekend.

It’s part of a campaign that includes other police services across the province and is aimed at reducing impaired driving on the roads.

RIDE, which stands for ‘reduce impaired driving everywhere,’ involves random mobile checks by officers to prevent people from driving under the influence.

“And impaired driving now consists of, obviously alcohol consumption, but also of drug consumption as well,” said WRPS Const. Chris Iden.

From now until Jan. 1, 2025 there will be a heightened level of enforcement – and not always in the same locations.

“Obviously the element of surprise is always helpful in these types of situations, but being present and being seen is also important too. We want to let the community know that we are out there,” said Iden.

Officers rely on calls from community members too, who may suspect impaired driving.

“And because of their cooperation, we're able to make those stops and investigate properly,” said Iden.

Ensuring everyone is staying alert is a message echoed by Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) Waterloo Region.

While the tri-cities are home to many post-secondary students, they’re not the only ones who need to be mindful.

“The statistics show, in fact, that even the older demographics for whom should know better, don't always follow the rules of the road,” said Sarah Becker, director of fundraising for MADD Waterloo Region.

Iden and Becker agree that even with plenty of ridesharing options, people don’t take advantage of them as much as they should.

“So the trends obviously are that, yes, this continues to be a challenge,” said Becker. “Number-wise that's difficult to quantitate only in the sense of we don't know what would happen without these programs. So we are firm believers in the importance of the RIDE programs to deter people who might otherwise think, "Oh, you know, it might not happen to me."

Police plan to send out numbers relating to enforcement data and charges laid at various points throughout the campaign.