OPP Launch Long Weekend Safety Blitz
Posted October 7, 2006 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Thanksgiving weekend’s highway safety blitz will be the last such effort by the Ontario Provincial Police on the province’s roads this year, and it may also be the most important.
With thousands upon thousands of vehicles heading out of town, provincial police will be out in full force checking for unsafe vehicles, drivers under the influence, and people that are just plain going too fast.
“Operation Impact started at 6 a.m. yesterday and about 250 charges have been laid so far,” said OPP Sgt. Cam Woolley.
“With this great weather a lot of people out on the road are apparently looking at the leaves and not watching where they’re going.”
Also, for the first time in 25 years the OPP have a plane as part of their team. The aircraft will look for infractions and signal to cruisers on the ground.
On Saturday, that plane helped officers nab a speeder going a shocking 160 kilometres an hour.
“That was easily measured because our aircraft speed was 153 and the car was actually slowly going past,” said OPP Const. Graham Williams.
And that individual was hardly alone in their dangerous action. Woolley continues to be amazed by things he and his OPP colleagues come across.
“Drunk drivers continue to be a problem,” Wolley said. “Last night we arrested five drunk drivers in 20 minutes.”
Woolley added that over 100 unsafe vehicles were pulled over on the first day of the blitz alone, including some without breaks and one leaking fuel.
Operation Impact wraps up Monday night.
