Peel Regional Police caught more than 400 drinking drivers in Festive Season RIDE spot checks this past season.

That’s a 23 per cent drop compared to the previous season when more than 500 drinking drivers were caught.

However, police estimate they stopped 40 per cent fewer vehicles this season compared to last – 33,011 compared to 55,496.

“It is concerning that the number of persons charged is this high during a six week period,” said Peel Insp. Paul Pogue, officer in charge of Road Safety Services.

This season, between Nov. 19 and Jan. 2, police charged 211 drivers with drunk driving and another four with drugged driving – 113 in Mississauga and 102 in Brampton.

Another 208 were found to have just under the legal limit of alcohol in their systems, registering a “warning” on a roadside screening device, and their licences were suspended for anywhere from three to 30 days.

Last season, 233 were charged with impaired driving, another 315 issued licence suspensions, totalling 548.

Police statistics show 69 per cent of those charged were between the ages of 21 and 40, and of those, 121 were men, 30 were women.