OPP will be cracking down on drunk drivers over the next month.
The Festive R.I.D.E. Campaign kicks off Friday and runs until Jan. 2.
Police say over the past 15 years, 987 people have died in preventable alcohol/drug-related collisions on OPP-patrolled roads.
Tragically, 464 (47 per cent) of the 987 deceased were innocent victims in these crashes, while the other 523 (53 per cent) were the at-fault impaired driver.
So far this year, 37 people have died in collisions linked to an alcohol or drug-impaired driver, 19 of whom were innocent victims.
This year marks the fourth consecutive year to see a higher number of innocent people killed than impaired drivers who caused the collision.
With the annual Festive "Reduce Impaired Driving Everywhere" (R.I.D.E.) campaign getting underway this week, the OPP wants road users to take away an important message from their traffic fatality data.
"The staggering number of innocent people who die in alcohol or drug-related collisions tells us that minding our own business about impaired drivers is the wrong thing to do,” says OPP Deputy Commissioner Brad Blair. “When you see an impaired driver on the road, call 9-1-1.”
As of October 2, 2016, Ontario legislation carries penalties for drug-impaired driving that match those already in place for alcohol-impaired drivers.
