Essex County is leading the way when it comes to impaired driving charges at the halfway point of 2025.
Among the areas of the province patrolled by the Ontario Provincial Police, West Region, which includes Essex County, has recorded 880 impaired driving charges compared to 815 in 2024, an eight per cent increase.
It's the highest number of charges out of any of the OPP-patrolled regions and above the overall three per cent increase in impaired driving charges recorded by OPP.
Within the West Region, Essex County is at the top of the list with 117 impaired driving charges between January and June 2025, slightly above the 115 recorded during the same time last year.
OPP Constable Steven Duguay says the number of impaired driving charges is also up 40 per cent over the five-year average in Essex County.
Duguay says they are getting a lot of help from the public, who are calling police about suspected impaired drivers.
"We've increased our presence on the highways. We've increased our RIDE campaigns and our RIDE checks during the day and evening by our officers through our five detachments across Essex County," he says. "There's also an increase of impaired drivers on the roads who are either stopped by our officers on patrol or they're getting into collisions."
Duguay says if you are planning to drink, plan to get home safely.
"The cost that's going to be attributed to your legal fees, your fines, impoundment of your vehicle, and the increase to your insurance rates-it's not worth it," he says. "The fact that you could injure or be involved in a fatal collision that you're at fault for will change your life drastically. Think before you go out."
OPP Essex County includes the communities of Essex, Lakeshore, Tecumseh, Kingsville and Leamington.