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Stay focused while driving this Labour Day weekend

OPP are asking drivers to be focused while driving during one of the year’s busiest weekends – The Labour Day weekend.

OPP are asking drivers to be focused while driving during one of the year’s busiest weekends – The Labour Day weekend.

One of the main enforcement objectives is to slow traffic down and officers will take a no nonsense approach to tailgating, distracted driving and other aggressive driving behaviour that tend to force other road users into dangerous situations.

The higher the speed – the more severe the impact and even a small reduction in speed can make a big difference in a driver’s ability to avoid a collision.

Distracted driving refers to all forms of distracted or inattentive driving such as adjusting a vehicle’s entertainment system, GPS unit or stereo, eating and drinking, using a hand-held device, self-grooming or tending to children in the back seat.

Drivers need to remember that the true danger to public safety lies in the distraction, not the device.

Another focus point during this last long-weekend of the summer will be impaired driving which remains the leading criminal cause of death in Canada.

Officers will be out on area roads and communities in an effort to remove the threat of the impaired driver.

A driver can be impaired not only by alcohol but all drugs including prescription medication, over-the-counter and those that are illegal.

Drivers need to understand that impaired driving is a criminal offence because of the risk and the danger it represents to other road users.

As you head out to the cottage or on your fishing trip this Labour Day weekend, please remember that the simple act of putting on a Personal Flotation Device can save your life.

Even a simple trip to the water’s edge can result in a split-second tragedy. If you or your children cannot swim, what excuse do you have for not enforcing the use of a PFD? When worn properly, it is flawless in its ability to save a life in danger.