Impaired driving charges in Ottawa rise slightly in 2025
Posted Jan 5, 2026 01:58:08 PM.
Last Updated Jan 5, 2026 02:03:33 PM.
With the conclusion of a holiday campaign in the nation’s capital, Ottawa police shared some statistics on its efforts to Reduce Impaired Driving Everywhere (R.I.D.E.)
Over the course of several weeks, police conducted enforcement at 76 areas across the city, resulting in 6,924 drivers stopped.
Within the thousands who passed by police-checkpoints, 27 drivers were charged with impaired-related offences.
Two more were suspended drivers, three were charged with having open alcohol, and two were charged under the Cannabis Control Act.
In an effort to decrease the number of impaired drivers on city streets, Ottawa police took a different approach to the campaign this year. Officers shared the enforcement locations each week, in hopes of encouraging drivers to plan ahead and make smarter choices.
In addition, police continued enforcement during regular patrol hours, where 94 drivers were charged with impaired-related offences in the last several weeks.
As a result, impaired charges laid in Ottawa were slightly increased year-over-year. Police said that 854 people were charged in 2025 and 837 the year prior.
“The Ottawa Police Service reminds residents that impaired driving remains one of the leading threats to road safety. Officers will continue to enforce impaired driving laws year-round to protect the community,” officials said in the release.
Across eastern Ontario, provincial police laid charges against 150 drivers after detachments across the region conducted over 1,600 checkpoints.
