Local police laid over 70 charges during a Highway 6 safety blitz for Canada Road Safety Week, which continues over the long weekend.
The campaign, which kicked off on May 13 and ends on Victoria Day (May 20), targets speeding, seatbelt use, and impaired and distracted driving.
“Canada Road Safety Week is an effective traffic enforcement initiative, however it is only part of the solution to saving lives,” stated OPP Commissioner Thomas Carrique in a press release.
“It is important that everyone take responsibility to ensure safety on our roads.”
The week started with the “Safe-on-6” blitz on May 13 and 14, which targetted aggressive and careless drivers on Highway 6 from Lake Erie to Lake Huron.
In two days police laid about 300 charges, including 72 in Wellington County (52 for speeding, eight for racing/stunt driving, one for distracted driving, eight other driving offences and three insurance-related offences).
“This campaign is really about correcting poor behaviour that puts other drivers’ safety at risk,” stated Wellington County OPP Inspector Scott Lawson.
OPP officials say while the Highway 6 blitz concentrated on certain driving behaviours, the charges show police are committed to enforcing all traffic laws. Police are also reminding drivers Canada Road Safety Week continues over the Victoria Day long weekend.
According to police, 58 people have died on OPP-patrolled roads so far this year, with speed, alcohol/drugs, inattentive driving and lack of seat belt use linked to almost half (45 per cent) of those deaths.
In 2018, more than half of the 332 deaths on OPP-patrolled roads were attributed to the same factors.
Canada Road Safety Week is an annual enforcement and education initiative led by the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police that aims to promote safe driving and reduce injuries and save lives on roads.
