The North West Region of the Ontario Provincial Police have released the results of their Labour Day long weekend traffic campaign, and the numbers, officers say, tell a troubling story about the choices some drivers continue to make on provincial roads, trails and waterways. Focused on the ‘Big Four’ The OPP campaign ran from Sept. 4 to 7, with officers out in force across the region and the force said its focus was clear. “Patrolling the roads, trails, and waterways, officers focused on the ‘Big Four’ - impaired driving, distracted driving, aggressive driving (including speeding) and seatbelt compliance,” OPP wrote in a news release. Hundreds of traffic charges laid Officers laid the following traffic charges in the North West Region over the four-day campaign: Provincewide campaign nets more than 6,100 charges The North West Region results formed part of a provincewide enforcement effort that saw officers lay more than 6,100 charges over the same four-day period. Those totals included 5,212 speeding charges, 684 seatbelt charges, 202 impaired charges and 96 distracted driving charges across all OPP jurisdictions. Troubling history The enforcement blitz did not come without warning; last week OPP made it clear that Labour Day weekend has historically been one of the deadliest periods on OPP-patrolled routes. “Over the last 10 years, Labour Day weekend has seen more collisions and fatalities on OPP-patrolled roads, trails and waterways than any other long weekend. Since 2015, there have been 69 collisions and 76 fatalities over Labour Day weekends alone,” said provincial police in a previous release. OPP attributed nearly all of those fatalities to a familiar set of causes: impaired driving, speeding, inattentiveness and not wearing a seatbelt or helmet, or wearing one improperly. On waterways, the service noted that nearly all fatalities can be attributed to not wearing a lifejacket. Choices behind the numbers Throughout the campaign, OPP emphasized that safety is a shared responsibility, and that the consequences of poor decisions extend far beyond a traffic ticket. “Safety is everyone’s responsibility, whether you are on the roads, trails, or the waterways,” said police. “Make safe and responsible choices to ensure everyone can arrive home safely and enjoy the end of summer,” added police. OPP also acknowledged the commitment of everyone who made the right choice to drive safely over the holiday weekend. Reporting dangerous drivers OPP also used the campaign to remind the public that they can play an active role in keeping roads safe. “If you suspect a dangerous or impaired driver, please call OPP at 1-888-310-1122 when it is safe for you to do so,” said police. “If it is an emergency, please call 911.”
