With Ontario residents and visitors taking to highways and roads for the last long weekend of the summer, the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) is counting on all road users to help ensure everyone makes it to and from their destinations safely.
Despite OPP officers working 24/7 across the province to keep roads safe this year, drivers (and passengers) have contributed to a significant number of preventable road deaths.
As of mid-August, 214 have died on OPP-patrolled roads this year, with speeding, alcohol/drugs, driver inattention and lack of seatbelt use accounting for a significant number of the fatalities. These remain the leading causes or contributing factors in road deaths year after year.
The motoring public can expect to see an increased OPP presence across the province, as officers target motorists who engage in these and any other driving behaviours and actions that jeopardize the safety of fellow road users on one of the busiest travel weekends of the year.
The OPP reminds drivers and passengers that they are important road safety partners who should not hesitate to report suspected impaired drivers and any other dangerous drivers to police. Calling 9-1-1 to report these drivers helps make roads safer for everyone, and that one phone call could even save a life.
The OPP is also counting on boaters, paddlers and off-roaders to use waterways and trails safely. Wearing a lifejacket on the water and a helmet on the trail will give you your best chance of surviving a serious incident.
With children and other students heading back to school next week, the Labour Day long weekend is an excellent opportunity for drivers and other road users to make a commitment to comply with all traffic laws. Doing so will go a long way towards keeping everyone safe on our roads.
The OPP is committed to keeping people safe on close to 100,000 kilometres of waterways and trails, and more than 130,000 kilometres of roadway.
