W
Wanker
Guest
Call it a modern take on the old trick of flashing your headlights to alert approaching vehicles about an upcoming speed trap. Fueled by technology, a new trend has drivers taking to social media sites to report the locations of sobriety checkpoints across Ontario.
With the holiday Reduce Impaired Driving Everywhere (RIDE) blitz underway, a growing number of people are using Twitter to let fellow drivers know -- in 140 characters or less -- exactly where police officers have set up checkpoints. And that's irking police who say the practice is putting lives at risk -- and is just plain stupid.
"I'm not too certain what to say to people who feel it's important to reveal RIDE programs by tweeting, except that I hope someone they love isn't killed by a drunk driver who otherwise would have been stopped and arrested at a RIDE check," said OPP Sgt. David Rektor.
Warnings alerting drivers to avoid certain areas where police have set up checkpoints are popping up all over Twitter. "Ride program at the Valleywood exit for the 410, be careful stoners and pounders," tweeted ImJoeyLemosBro.RobertPecore tweets, "RIDE program @ HWY2/Centrefield.
"Just as flashing your headlights at approaching motorists to signal a nearby police presence isn't illegal, neither is tweeting out the location of a sobriety checkpoint, says London's top traffic cop.But it's stupid, says Sgt. Tom O'Brien.
"It's contradicting everything society stands for," said O'Brien, who's appealing to the public to keep their tweets to themselves when it comes to RIDE locations. Impaired driving continues to be the leading cause of criminal death in Canada.
So far this year, 40 people have died in alcohol-related collisions on OPP-patrolled roads.
With the holiday Reduce Impaired Driving Everywhere (RIDE) blitz underway, a growing number of people are using Twitter to let fellow drivers know -- in 140 characters or less -- exactly where police officers have set up checkpoints. And that's irking police who say the practice is putting lives at risk -- and is just plain stupid.
"I'm not too certain what to say to people who feel it's important to reveal RIDE programs by tweeting, except that I hope someone they love isn't killed by a drunk driver who otherwise would have been stopped and arrested at a RIDE check," said OPP Sgt. David Rektor.
Warnings alerting drivers to avoid certain areas where police have set up checkpoints are popping up all over Twitter. "Ride program at the Valleywood exit for the 410, be careful stoners and pounders," tweeted ImJoeyLemosBro.RobertPecore tweets, "RIDE program @ HWY2/Centrefield.
"Just as flashing your headlights at approaching motorists to signal a nearby police presence isn't illegal, neither is tweeting out the location of a sobriety checkpoint, says London's top traffic cop.But it's stupid, says Sgt. Tom O'Brien.
"It's contradicting everything society stands for," said O'Brien, who's appealing to the public to keep their tweets to themselves when it comes to RIDE locations. Impaired driving continues to be the leading cause of criminal death in Canada.
So far this year, 40 people have died in alcohol-related collisions on OPP-patrolled roads.
