The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) West Region laid a total of 1,425 charges during a traffic safety campaign over the Civic Holiday long weekend.
The campaign ran from August 1st to August 4th, and focused on unsafe driving behaviours that often lead to crashes, injuries, and deaths. Officers were watching for speeding, distracted driving, impaired driving, and failure to wear seatbelts.
Police also made sure drivers followed Ontario’s Move Over law, which requires drivers to slow down, and move over, if safe, when approaching emergency vehicles with flashing lights. This law is in place to help keep emergency responders safe while they work at the side of the road.
During the campaign, officers conducted over 1,800 traffic stops across the region. Compared to last year, there were fewer speeding and distracted driving charges, but seatbelt and “fail to move over” charges increased.
This year, police laid 625 speeding charges, 148 for failing to wear a seatbelt, 10 for distracted driving, 47 for impaired driving, and 19 for failing to move over for emergency vehicles.
The OPP says the goal of the campaign is to protect everyone on the road and they are reminding drivers to travel safely and responsibly.
Written by: K. Milhomens