Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) officers were kept busy on and off roads leading up to and over the Victoria Day Long Weekend, investigating two off-road vehicle deaths and laying numerous charges.
During Canada Road Safety Week (May 16-22, 2017), the OPP laid close to 9,400 speeding charges, with an additional 165 street racing charges laid against motorists who were driving 50 km/h over the posted speed limit.
Officers also laid 649 seat belt charges, 482 distracted driving charges, 124 alcohol/drug impaired charges and various other traffic-related charges to motorists whose driving behaviours threatened the safety of other road users on one of the busiest traffic weekends of the year.
While the OPP was relieved to see the weekend end with no fatalities on Ontario roads, officers did respond to two separate off-road vehicle (ORV) incidents in which both ORV drivers died.
Canada Road Safety Week is an annual national campaign aimed at reducing the number of traffic deaths linked to the Big Four causal factors, which are impaired, inattentive, aggressive driving and lack of seat belt use.
The OPP is reminding drivers that while the campaign is over, officers remain highly focused on changing these driving behaviours 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.