Peel Regional Police laid 101 impaired driving charges during their 2025 holiday RIDE campaign in Mississauga and Brampton, according to final figures the service released on Tuesday.
Officers inspected 16,101 vehicles at roadside spot checks and conducted 6,443 roadside screening tests during the campaign, which ran from Nov. 15 to Dec. 31. In all, 123 people were charged, and police laid 1,122 charges under the Highway Traffic Act and the Criminal Code.
Seasonal RIDE enforcement stepped up this holiday season — and the results speak for themselves.
— Peel Regional Police, in a social media post
More checks, fewer impaired charges
Officers checked about 4,000 more vehicles than during the 2024 holiday campaign, when 12,094 vehicles were inspected, and roadside screening tests rose from 3,618. Impaired driving charges fell to 101 from 126 the year before, while the total number of charges of all kinds rose from 373, according to figures reported by insauga.
The campaign is run in partnership with MADD Canada. During the holiday period, additional officers from Road Safety Services and other divisions are deployed to roadside checks across the region. Police said that in the campaign's first weekend alone, officers checked more than 700 vehicles, administered 181 roadside screening tests and laid five impaired driving related charges.
Drug-impaired driving a growing concern
When the campaign launched in November, police said that while alcohol-impaired driving remains a serious concern, drug-impaired driving brings new challenges that require specialized tools, advanced training and collaboration. The service pointed to the legalization of cannabis, the ongoing opioid crisis and the rise in poly-drug use among drivers as reasons RIDE has had to evolve.
Peel police said at the launch that officers had laid 787 impaired driving charges in 2025 as of Oct. 31, a figure that covers year-round enforcement, not just the holiday campaign.
Driving impaired is a choice that endangers lives and shatters families.
— Deputy Chief Marc Andrews, Peel Regional Police, at the November campaign launch
Police say the holiday campaign is part of year-round efforts to keep impaired drivers off the road. They urge drivers to plan ahead by using a designated driver, taking transit or a rideshare, or arranging a place to stay, and to call 911 if they suspect another driver is impaired.
