Chatham-Kent OPP and municipal police, with the assistance of various support services and agencies, publicly kicked off the seasonal RIDE campaign Friday.
Showcasing various ways a person who has too much to drink can get home – from Home James to taxi services, to tow trucks and even a hearse – the gathering illustrated how decisions made can hugely influence the outcome.
“It’s very important to send the message to take an alternative ride home,” Const. Doug Cowell of the Chatham-Kent Police Service said. “And it’s a total community effort.”
He said it’s nonsensical for someone to drink alcohol and then drive home, and points to the readily accessible alternatives. Home James, where volunteers will come and drive you and your vehicle home for a donation, tops the list. Cabs are another obvious option.
Home James is running every weekend from now until New Year’s.
“There is no reason to ever get behind the wheel and take that chance,” Cowell said.
Police said the RIDE programs would concentrate on weekends to deter drinking and driving, but would also set up at different times, as Christmas parties and festive activities can see people drinking at times other than Friday and Saturday nights.
“Any time of the day, there could be RIDE out,” Cowell said.
He added that while provincial grant money fuels most of the RIDE checks, platoons will set aside some of their time to set up spot checks as well.
The RIDE program and other campaigns to deter drinking and driving seem to be working, police say, as fewer people are being arrested and charged with impaired driving these days. But texting and talking on a cell phone while driving is also a concern, one that is now much more prevalent than drinking and driving.
Cowell said when police set up spot checks, it’s for more than just checking to see if someone is behind the wheel after drinking.
“They’ve pulled right up to the officers and they weren’t wearing a seat belt, or they were on their phones,” he said of inattentive drivers.
Home James has seen an influx of people making use of its services. Last year, its volunteers gave 662 rides home, up from 517 in 2012, transporting 1,439 people, and raising more than $14,000 for charity in the process. Organizers expect another busy year.
Hello Bruce, I am one very concerned citizen in Chatham. I am reading all the articles in the paper(s) and on air about the (do not drive impaired). It is fantastic that the police are blitzing this holiday season. What about the DISTRACTED DRIVER which is a bigger issue. Why isn’t anything done about this to a greater extent? Is it that the officers do not want to leave the confines of their comfortable cruisers? Is it too hot, windy, cold, rainy, snowing outside? Or maybe we will see them down the road when they have killed a family member and themselves.
I implore the police to start doing your job and protecting the innocent public for which you are handsomely paid before the devastating call happens at your home.
Police do conduct awareness blitzes and admit distracted driving is now responsible for more accidents than impaired driving. RIDE checks are for more than impaired driving, as they check for cell phone usage, seatbelts, etc.