Members of the Ontario Provincial Police West Region laid more than 2,100 charges during this year’s Labour Day traffic safety campaign, with speeding accounting for the majority of offences.
Between September 4 and September 7, OPP West Region officers conducted 2,330 traffic stops and laid a total of 2,142 charges. The campaign focused on the “Big Four” driving behaviours identified as leading contributors to deaths, injuries and property damage on Ontario roads: aggressive driving, failure to wear a seatbelt, distracted driving and impaired driving.
Speeding was by far the most common featured offence, with 1,004 charges laid across the West Region, up from 814 during last year’s campaign. Officers also issued 172 seatbelt charges, 11 distracted driving charges, 52 impaired driving charges and 37 stunt driving charges.
Locally, Middlesex County recorded the highest number of speeding charges among the five areas highlighted, with 163. Officers also laid 22 seatbelt charges, four distracted driving charges, six impaired driving charges and 11 stunt driving charges in Middlesex.
In Lambton County, OPP officers laid 62 speeding charges, along with three seatbelt charges, five impaired driving charges and two stunt driving charges. Elgin County recorded 52 speeding charges, 21 seatbelt charges, one distracted driving charge and three stunt driving charges.
Norfolk County saw 53 speeding charges, five seatbelt charges, one distracted driving charge and three stunt driving charges. In Oxford County, officers laid 41 speeding charges, 30 seatbelt charges, two distracted driving charges and two impaired driving charges.
The OPP says the Labour Day campaign was aimed at educating drivers and enforcing the rules surrounding dangerous driving behaviours as people travelled during the final long weekend of summer.
Written by: C. Soares
