OPP begin road safety blitz as fatal collisions on the rise
Posted May 12, 2020 6:58 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Ontario Provincial Police will be out in full force this week as road safety week kicks off.
OPP say officers will be cracking down on the big four bad driving behaviours — speeding, aggressive driving, distracted driving, and impaired driving.
In the GTA alone, the OPP laid more than 70 street racing charges and 18 impaired driving charges between May 4 and May 11.
OPP say there has also been an increase in fatal collisions. As of May 4, 71 people have died on OPP-patrolled roads, compared to 61 deaths during the same time last year.
Alcohol or drug related fatalities are also up 20 per cent, and lack of seat-belt related fatalities are up 25 per cent.
“Drivers need to carefully consider the main behaviours and actions that are linked to the many lives lost on our roads every year,” OPP Chief Superintendent Rohan Thompson said in a statement.
“Fatigue and prescription drug use are forms of impaired driving. Aggressive driving isn’t just about speeding, it includes tail-gaiting and other unsafe maneuvers. Distracted driving isn’t just about cell phones, it’s also about programming your GPS or eating behind the wheel. Safe drivers mean safe roads. Drive like your life depends on it, because it does.”
This safety blitz comes just days after an 18-year-old Etobicoke man was clocked going more than 300 km/h on the QEW in Burlington. The driver was charged with street racing.
