Ontario Provincial Police are calling figures from the recent Festive RIDE campaign "disappointing" and "concerning".
North East Region OPP say 1638 Festive RIDE checks were conducted between November 23rd and January 2nd, with 61 people arrested for impaired driving-related offences and another 30 issued Automatic Drivers' Licence Suspensions after registering in the "warn" range.
That reverses the declining trend seen the previous two years, as impaired driving charges were up 38 percent from the previous holiday season, and suspensions were up 30 percent.
Traffic Inspector Scott Hlady - the region's Traffic and Marine Manager - says it's "very disappointing and concerning to see that so many drivers in our region are choosing to put their lives and the lives of everyone else on the road at risk".