Ontario saw an alarming year-over-year increase in the number of motorists caught driving under the influence last month, according to new statistics on dangerous driving charges released by the OPP's Highway Safety Division Wednesday. 

The OPP stats for April 2021 indicate that a total of 618 DIU charges were laid in Ontario last month compared with 515 similar charges issued in the same month in 2020 — representing an increase of 20 per cent year over year.

And of these 618 incidents, that vast majority featured a male driver. 

Impaired driving charges UP 20%
Stunt driving charges DOWN over 50%
April 2020 vs April 2021. #OPPStats pic.twitter.com/qO43WBOU3U

— OPP Highway Safety Division (@OPP_HSD) May 5, 2021

Men aged 26 to 35 had the highest number of DIUs in April, with 158 drivers in this demographic receiving charges last month, and men aged 36 to 50 followed closely behind with 137 charges. 

Male drivers over 50 up also saw a high proportion of charges (110), and 97 DIUs were handed out to male motorists aged 18 to 25 . 

Overall, men accounted for 81 per cent of all DIU charges laid in Ontario in April.

this is very interesting.

It looks like we have some work to do with our male population and it starts young.

— T.P. Ottawa (@Hope4OCT) May 5, 2021

According to Mother's Against Drunk Driving, crashes involving alcohol and/or drugs are a leading criminal cause of death in Canada, with an average of four Canadians killed in alcohol and/or drug-related motor vehicle crashes on public roads involving at least one "principal highway vehicle" every day. 

"Every year, hundreds of people are killed and tens of thousands are injured in impaired driving crashes, affecting not only those in the crashes but all of their families and friends as well," says MADD.

"While we can put a number on the financial and social costs of impaired driving, it is impossible to quantify the loss and grief caused by this violent crime."

Impaired driving charges UP 20%
Stunt driving charges DOWN over 50%
April 2020 vs April 2021 #OPPStats #StuntDriving #ImpairedDriving https://t.co/m8ZtJ5CdxK

— OPP Highway Safety Division (@OPP_HSD) May 5, 2021

Fortunately, stunt driving charges were down by more than 50 per cent in April of 2021, representing a welcome decline in a dangerous trend that gained an unfortunate amount of popularity amid the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

While police issued 825 HTA racing charges in April of 2020, that number dropped to 400 in April of 2021.