The Quinte Region Traffic Coalition (QRTC) has kicked off their 2019 Festive RIDE season.
Members of the Quinte Region Traffic Coalition kicked off their 2019 Festive Ride season at West Zwick’s Park on December 10, 2019. (Photo: Amanda Smith/Quinte News)
Members of the Belleville Police Service, Prince Edward County, Quinte West, Central Hastings, Lennox and Addington and Bancroft OPP detachments and the Hastings Prince Edward Public Health Unit were at West Zwick’s Park in Belleville Tuesday afternoon for the Festive RIDE check.
The initiative aims to bring awareness to the big four contributors in collisions; impaired driving, excessive speed, distracted driving and not wearing a seatbelt, and raise awareness of the importance of not driving while under the influence.
Members of the Quinte Region Traffic Coalition kicked off their 2019 Festive Ride season at West Zwick’s Park on December 10, 2019. (Photo: Amanda Smith/Quinte News)
The #HomeSafeForTheHolidays campaign was launched at the end of November and features videos to help dispel some of the myths about impaired driving.
Each week there will be a video posted on the Hastings Prince Edward Public Health Facebook and Twitter accounts during the holidays.
Prince Edward County OPP Staff Sergeant John Hatch says impaired driving is completely preventable and officers will be conducting festive RIDE checks throughout the holiday season.
Belleville Police Service Chief Ron Gignac says he’s not happy that after 40 years RIDE checks need to still be held and officers continue to make arrests and lay impaired driving charges.
He says despite the statistics and the education, people still choose to drink and drive.
Members of the Quinte Region Traffic Coalition kicked off their 2019 Festive Ride season at West Zwick’s Park on December 10, 2019. (Photo: Amanda Smith/Quinte News)
Gignac says with social media, officers have changed the way they conduct RIDE checks.
“Gone are the days where we set up for four hours in one spot,” he explained. “We may be in one spot for ten minutes, five in the next and 15 in the next.”
