Rideshare driver faces impaired charges after 417 crash

A 40-year-old Ottawa rideshare operator faces impaired driving charges after a three-vehicle crash on Highway 417 at the beginning of the morning rush hour on Wednesday.

Ontario Provincial Police were called shortly before 7 a.m. for the crash near Lees Avenue. The pile-up snarled traffic along the westbound lanes of the Queensway.

At the scene, officers suspected one of the drivers, who was a rideshare driver, of having consumed alcohol.

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The driver was given a roadside screening and was taken to the OPP detachment, where he registered nearly three times the legal limit of 80 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood.

The driver faces both impaired driving and dangerous driving charges.

The rideshare passenger had minor injuries and was transported to hospital for treatment.

Police did not name the rideshare service. OPP spokesperson Const. Michael Fathi said the force did not identify companies unless they were charged.

As of Wednesday, the OPP reported a slight increase in the number of impaired drivers so far this year.

In a release, the East Region said “327 drivers have been arrested and charged so far this year, compared to 319 at this time in 2024.”

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