York regional police will now release the names of people charged with impaired driving

After another weekend of charging more than a dozen drivers with impaired, police in York Region are taking a drastic step in the hopes of curbing this illegal behaviour.

Chief Eric Jolliffe said they will now publish the names of drivers charged with impaired-related criminal driving offences.

“It’s clear that something has to change,” Jolliffe said in a statement released on Monday.

“Effective immediately, York Regional Police will name all of the drivers charged with impaired-related criminal driving offences, to further make impaired driving socially unacceptable and so that members of our community can assist with notifying police if these offenders choose to drive while under suspension. Innocent lives are put at risk every day by this irresponsible and criminal behaviour. We are not giving up.”

Going forward, police will post the names of these drivers on the York Regional Police website every Monday.

Over the weekend police in York Region laid impaired charges against 16 drivers. The drivers ranged from a 23-year-old Aurora man, who was charged with impaired driving – drug, while the oldest was a 55-year-old man from Newmarket charged with impaired driving – alcohol and over 80.

These latest arrests add to the more than 1,400 charges for impaired-related driving offences laid in the region so far this year.

Five people were killed in alcohol or drug impairment crashes this year in York Region, police said.