Stronger police presence over Canada Day long weekend

A cop is using radar. (CTV News/Rob Cooper)

It may not be a long weekend but many people are treating it like one.

Lots of people are flocking to cottage country and surrounding area Friday night as the summer season gets underway.

It’s been a long time coming - a summer break north for a couple of days.

With the highways expected to be jam-packed for the next several days, police say they will be watching closely.

“We’ve seen far too many tragedies already,” says Sgt. Kerry Schmidt with the OPP. “164 people dead already this year and that is up significantly over the same period last year.”

Police say the big four—seatbelt use, speed, distracted driver and impaired driving—continue to be an issue on the roads.

“We look for those high-risk driving behaviors. We see it all the time, we see it consistently in fatal collisions,” says Schmidt.

Fourteen of this year’s fatalities have involved motorcyclists. People riding their bikes today say it can get awfully crowded on Highway 400 on the busy weekends.

“We are a small target you know look in your mirrors and pay attention to what’s around you,” says John Vovk, a motorcyclist.

Police say they are expecting this kind of volume right through the night and into Saturday afternoon.

Authorities are reminding people they will not only be on the ground but also in the air watching from above.