OPP gearing up for impaired driving checkpoints on Ottawa highways
Posted Nov 20, 2025 11:03:17 AM.
Last Updated Nov 20, 2025 11:03:26 AM.
A 25-year-old driver was pulled off the roads on Thursday morning after going through a police check on Highway 417.
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) festive R.I.D.E. (Reduce Impaired Driving Everywhere) program is kicking off, aimed at removing not-sober drivers from roadways to reduce the risks of fatal or serious crashes. Just before 1:30 a.m. on Thursday, police set up a checkpoint on the highway at Castlefrank Road.
The vehicle approached officers and the driver was showing signs of impairment, OPP said in a press release. A screening device used forced officers to bring the driver back for further testing.
As a result, Gobind Bhandari, 25, is facing charges of operation while impaired (alcohol and drugs) and operation while impaired (blood alcohol content 80 plus). The accused’s licence was suspended for 90 days and the vehicle impounded.
“The OPP reminds motorists that as the holiday season approaches, our members will be conducting RIDE checks regularly,” the press release reads.
The program runs across the province and sees an increase of patrolling nearing the holidays when people are celebrating more. Police are hoping to build off a successful 2024, which saw a decrease in the number of impaired drivers in Ontario, despite 10 per cent more patrolling hours by officers.
Province looking at legislation on impaired driving
The Ontario government says it’s looking at new measures that would force impaired drivers to pay ongoing child support if they kill a child’s parent or guardian, but couldn’t give a timeline for when new rules could potentially be implemented.
The measures come as an addition to the Safer Roads and Communities Act, 2024, which introduced a lifetime licence suspension for anyone convicted of impaired driving causing death.
The province is looking to jurisdictions with similar laws, including Texas, which in 2023 required offenders convicted of “intoxication manslaughter” to pay child support until the child turns 18 years of age or finishes high school.
