RIDE (Reduce Impaired Driving Everywhere)
RIDE — Reduce Impaired Driving Everywhere — is the umbrella name for Ontario's organized impaired-driving enforcement programs. RIDE checkpoints are roadside locations where police stop a high volume of drivers under their authority to spot-check for licensing, insurance, and impairment. RIDE operates under the combined authority of the Ontario Highway Traffic Act and the Criminal Code. Most large police services run intensified RIDE programs during holiday periods.
Legal authority for RIDE stops
RIDE stops have been considered by the Supreme Court of Canada. In R v Ladouceur, 1990, the Court upheld the constitutionality of random vehicle stops for highway safety purposes, even where police lack any individualized suspicion. The decision recognized impaired driving as a serious public safety issue justifying limited interference with section 9 Charter rights. RIDE stops fall within this authority — though the scope of permissible questioning has been refined in later cases.
What police can do at a RIDE stop
At a RIDE stop, police can: stop the vehicle and ask the driver to lower the window; verify licensing, insurance, and registration; ask about alcohol consumption; observe the driver for signs of impairment (smell of alcohol, slurred speech, glassy eyes, fumbling with documents); and demand a roadside breath sample under section 320.27. Under mandatory alcohol screening (since 2018), the demand can be made without any suspicion of alcohol consumption, provided an ASD is on hand.
Driver obligations
Drivers must: stop when signalled; produce a driver's licence and proof of insurance on demand; comply with any lawful breath demand. Drivers are not required to answer questions about destination, drinking, or other matters — though refusing to answer is rarely strategic and can prolong the encounter. Drivers should be polite, comply with lawful demands, and contact counsel as soon as practicable if detained.
Charter limits on RIDE stops
While the stop itself is constitutional, what police do during the stop must comply with Charter requirements. Improperly extended detentions, pretextual questioning, and improperly conducted breath screenings remain subject to Charter challenge. Counsel can challenge RIDE-related charges where: the stop was extended beyond the lawful purpose; the screening demand was made after impermissible delay; right-to-counsel implementation was deficient; or other procedural deficiencies undermine the case.
Strategy
RIDE-related charges are defended like any other impaired driving case — with attention to the legality of the stop, the conduct of screening, the timing and procedure of evidentiary breath testing, and the implementation of Charter rights at every stage. Mass Tsang's DUI lawyers handle RIDE-stop cases across the GTA. For more, see our blog post on how police use roadside screening tools in Ontario.
Related glossary terms
