The community leader for Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) Windsor & Essex County believes the region needs to do better.
Chaouki Hamka says he's concerned and frightened after the RIDE program in Windsor over the weekend of Sept. 18.
He says there were zero impaired arrests but says police issued five three-day licence suspensions.
"Five three-day licence suspensions is very frightening because you had five individuals who were impaired at the time they went through that RIDE program," he says.
(Photo courtesy of Mothers Against Drunk Driving)
Hamka says the community needs to make better and safer choices.
"I think people don't generally look at three-day licence suspensions as a big issue but it is a big big issue because those people are still impaired and driving on our roads," says Hamka. "I haven't seen five three-day licence suspensions in a long time and unfortunately we are seeing these numbers grow and grow, week by week with these RIDE programs."
He says MADD has seen a rise in impaired driving offences since the beginning of the COVID-19 and adds there has been a 25 per cent increase in consumption of alcohol and cannabis in Canada.
"Please don't drive impaired," says Hamka. "Don't get in a vehicle with somebody whose been drinking or doing drugs."