RAID putting a dent in impaired driving

Ontario RAID (Report All Impaired Drivers) is a year-round program to deter impaired driving and remove impaired drivers from the road. The program is designed to take impaired drivers off the roads before they cause an injury or a death.

"The RAID program began in Orillia in 2002, and has now expanded across the province of Ontario. The program reaches areas in Muskoka to Wawa, Kapuskasing, Sudbury, east Napanee, Kingston, west out to the London areas to name a few," said RAID founder Doug Abernethy.

"I know the impact drinking and driving can have on a family. An impaired driver with a blood alcohol level of more than three times the limit killed my brother who was 15 years old. Because of the tragedy that devastated my family, I hope my efforts in the battle against impaired drivers with the RAID program will help ensure safer roads for all. There have been many, many families in our country that have lost a loved one to an impaired driver. Impaired driving is still the number one criminal cause of death. 80,000 Canadians are charged with impaired driving every year. For 20 per cent of them, it isn't the first time. In Ontario, about 16,000 people are charged annually with drinking and driving. My goal is to curtail alcoholrelated deaths on our highways and roadways," Abernethy said.

The RAID program is operated in partnership with the OPP, and the program encourages any person who spots a suspected impaired driver to immediately call 9- 1-1 or * OPP (677) on a cell phone. The objective of the program is to make drinking drivers aware that not only the police, but also all members of the public are watching for them. OPP officers across the province have been distributing RAID wallet cards at RIDE checks and are also asking local businesses to post RAID posters in businesses in their community as a deterrent to drinking and driving.

If you see a driver you believe to be impaired, you are asked to call police immediately and provide the following information: state you are following or have seen an impaired driver; state your location; give the description of vehicle and direction of travel; identify vehicle by licence number, colour, make/model.

Do not attempt to stop the vehicle. Please remember to use your cell phone safely; pull over to the side of the road prior to making a call or have a passenger make the call. Look for telltale signs, which include straddling lanes or driving on the centre line, driving with headlights off at night, erratic braking, weaving or zigzagging across the road, driving on the wrong side of the road or completely off the road.

OPP Commissioner Julian Fantino said: "The RAID program raises public awareness and encourages members of the public to report impaired drivers. This early identification of impaired drivers is of great assistance to police, who can then attempt to stop these dangerous individuals before tragedies occur. The OPP is committed to increasing motorist safety making Ontario's roads the safest on the continent. With the valued assistance of programs, such as RAID, the OPP is confident that incidents of impaired driving on our roadways can be reduced. Motorists are reminded, if it can be done safely, to make note of the date, time and location of the observation, a description of the driver in question, or any other information that would help identify the vehicle. Based on this detailed information, an officer can respond, stop the vehicle and take the appropriate action."