The yearly festive RIDE campaign launched on Wednesday and this year police will be looking for drivers who are impaired by alcohol and drugs.
Barrie Police Service Constable Ben Wakelin is one of about a dozen constables on staff trained to recognize drug use.
“There are physiological effects that drugs have on your body,” said Wakelin. “You'd be looking at their pupil size, sweating, and dryness around the mouth.”
“There's been a huge increase in impaired driving by drug, and that is a major concern for us,” said OPP Central Region Sergeant Dave Moffat.
South Simcoe Police Constable Richard Williamson says they’ve designed tests to find out if someone is high, and on what.
“Illicit drugs, prescription drugs...anything that can affect your ability to operate a motor vehicle we are looking for. But now, we've got drug recognition experts on staff who can actually do physical tests.”
Barrie Police Sergeant Glen Furlong says he is concerned about the number of impaired teenage drivers.
“The younger generation seems to feel like it's okay to smoke marijuana. We're seeing an influx in cars that are stopping, and they open the window and you can smell the marijuana.”
RIDE checks are set up at random, and police want people to know that consequences can be tragic whether someone is drunk or high behind the wheel.
