OPP lay nearly 500 driving-related charges over holiday period
Posted January 4, 2021 1:17 pm.
Last Updated January 4, 2021 6:18 pm.
Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) handed out nearly 500 driving-related charges over the holiday period — the majority for impaired driving.
“Over the Christmas holiday … across the province, the OPP laid 346 impaired driving charges,” OPP Sgt. Kerry Schmidt said in a video posted to Twitter. “During that same time, 141 people were charged with street racing or stunt driving.”
Police say these charges were laid between December 20, 2020 and Jan. 4, 2021.
In one example, an 18-year-old was charged with street racing after being clocked driving 183 km/hr on the QEW near St. Catharines. The driver’s licence was suspended and the vehicle was impounded for seven days.
183km/hr on the #QEW in St Catharines.
18 year old driver charged with #StreetRacing#7DayLicenceSuspension#7DayVehicleImpound#NiagaraOPP pic.twitter.com/PfJbPzDB2n— OPP Highway Safety Division (@OPP_HSD) January 4, 2021
OPP West Region stopped a 28-year-old from Mississauga for going 150 km/hr on Highway 401 near Woodstock. The G1 driver was also charged for having open alcohol and drugs in the vehicle.
G1 #StuntDriver with open alcohol and cannabis stopped on #Hwy401 near Woodstock by West Region @OPP_HSD after going over 150km/h in a posted 100 km/h zone. A 28 yr old from #Mississauga is facing several charges. Driving is a privilege NOT a right! @OxfordCounty #OxfordOPP ^es pic.twitter.com/PA9MBY0VLK
— OPP West Region (@OPP_WR) January 4, 2021
Since January 1st, provincial police have laid an additional 79 impaired driving charges and over two dozen street racing charges.
“In the last four days, 33 people have been taken off the road for street racing,” Schmidt said. “That’s not just speeding charges, that’s strictly excessive speed from drivers going 50 kilometres over the speed limit.”
Schmidt adds that while these numbers in the New Year are concerning, they are actually down from the same period last year.
