Winnipeg police are reporting a 72 per cent increase in impaired driving charges after the latest holiday checkstop program.

"Every time we take an impaired driver off the road there's a potential for a life to be saved," says Sgt. Rob Riffel with the Winnipeg Police Service.

Police say they stopped 30 per cent fewer vehicles this campaign but laid more charges.

In total, 98 people were charged this year, compared with only 57 drivers in 2009. 125 more had their licenses suspended for 24 hours.

"223 people that shouldn't have been on the road were taken off by our checkstop officers this year," says Riffel.

In total, Winnipeg police stopped 2,471 vehicles this holiday season. Almost one quarter of all drivers checked had been drinking before getting behind the wheel.

Gord Kowalchuk with Mothers Against Drunk Driving applauds the holiday checkstop program but says it should become a year-round campaign.

The Winnipeg Police Service says that is being considered.

Twenty-nine people were killed in alcohol-involved crashes in Manitoba in 2010.

-With a report from CTV's Caroline Barghout