OPP patrolling highways, waterways and trails in full force

OPP News Release

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What better way to welcome in a safe summer season and the Victoria Day Weekend than with the convergence of National Safe Driving Week, Canada Road Safety Week and North American Safe Boating Awareness Week.

The Ontario Provincial Police is geared up and ready to work patrolling highways, waterways and trails to ensure the safety of Ontario’s residents and visitors. All available resources and personnel will be deployed over the Victoria Day Weekend and will continue the crack down on aggressive drivers, those who choose to drink and drive and those who fail to buckle up.

Last year over the Victoria Day Weekend, seven people were killed on roads patrolled by the OPP. Fortunately, no lives were lost on the waterways.

Drivers caught driving at more than 50 kilometres over the posted speed limit will have their car impounded and licence suspended for seven days – right there and then, even in construction zones! Since the legislation was introduced last September, police services in Ontario have charged more than 4,500 motorists.

The recently initiated OPP Aircraft Enforcement Program will be in effect on sections of Highway 400 and Highway 69’s cottage country. New highway markings permit the OPP to check a driver’s speed from the air, and motorists should be aware that the spotters will also be watching for vehicles, especially trucks, that are following too closely and weaving in and out of traffic, or using the shoulder of the roads to avoid traffic tie-ups.

Please keep our emergency services and police officers safe - remember to move over when passing an emergency vehicle that is stopped on the side of the road with its emergency lights activated – it’s the law.

“Travelers, after having driven to their destination safely, often risk their lives by heading out onto the water without wearing a lifejacket or without having the required safety equipment stowed onboard,” warns Inspector Garry MacPherson, Highway Safety Division – North East Region. “The frigid waters of May still pose a danger to boaters. Expect the unexpected and wear a lifejacket-always.”

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