Essex County recorded the most impaired driving charges in the West Region during the OPP's annual Festive RIDE program.
Between November 20, 2025, and January 1, 2026, West Region OPP officers conducted 3,095 Festive RIDE spot checks across 13 detachment areas, including 375 in Essex County.
It's the highest number of Festive RIDE events conducted in the West Region in five years.
As a result, 269 impaired driving charges were laid in the West Region with 40 warn-range suspensions.
A total of 54 impaired driving charges and two warn-range suspensions were laid by officers in Essex County, the most impaired driving charges in the entire West Region.
Lambton County had the second most with 33.
It's the third year in a row that Essex County has recorded the highest number of impaired driving charges during the West Region's Festive RIDE program, with 48 laid in 2024 and 59 in 2023.
Last year's West Region Festive RIDE campaign resulted in a total of 187 impaired driving charges and 19 warn-range suspensions following 1,938 RIDE check events.