Manitoba RCMP report the opening weekend of December was a bad one for impaired driving in this province.

RCMP launched their 2017 Holiday Checkstop Program December 1st and 21 people were charged with impaired driving, with six alcohol-related tiered suspensions being issued.

During last year's program, which ran the month of December, 122 people were charged with an impaired driving offence and there were 60 alcohol or drug-related tiered suspensions.

So far in 2017, 76 people have been killed and another 166 have been seriously hurt in motor vehicle collisions. Police say about thirty percent of these deaths and injuries involved impaired driving.

Inspector Ed Moreland says in the last decade, there has not been a single year when someone has not died on our road during the holiday season.

"It's only week one of our Checkstop and we're already seeing high numbers of intoxicated drivers behind the wheel," says Moreland. "We need Manitobans to plan ahead for a safe ride home to avoid serious, and even fatal, consequences."

In the coming days, you will hear from Steinbach RCMP on the effectiveness of the Holiday Checkstop Program here.