With the Easter Long Weekend approaching and as the weather improves, the roads get busier. Here are some important tips to remember every time you get behind the wheel of a motor vehicle:
Pay Attention to the Road
- Distracted drivers are a safety risk! It is illegal in Ontario for drivers to use any handheld communication and entertainment devices (not exclusive to cell phones) while operating a motor vehicle. We have seen an increase in the number of persons using handheld devices, and we are concerned about the large number of drivers who continue to engage in this dangerous activity.
Buckle Up – Seatbelts Save Lives
- All Ontario drivers and passengers must wear a seatbelt in a properly adjusted and securely fastened manner. It’s the law. Making sure your children are also secure in a properly installed child restraint is equally as important. Wearing a seatbelt properly will dramatically increase your chance of surviving a motor vehicle collision.
Drive According to Conditions – Obeying Speed Limits
- Speed continues to be one of the leading causes of motor vehicle fatalities in Ontario. Slowing down during adverse weather conditions, and obeying the posted speed limit, will reduce the number of fatal crashes and serious injury collisions.
Slow Down or Move Over
- Drivers must remember when passing an emergency vehicle stopped with its emergency lights activated in the same direction of travel, either in a lane or on the shoulder of a road or highway, to slow down and pass with caution. If the road has two or more lanes, you must move over into another lane, if it can be done safely.
Don’t Drink and Drive
- Impaired driving continues to be among the leading criminal causes of death in Canada. The OPP conducts R.I.D.E. spot checks throughout the year to remove the threat of the impaired driver. Do your part by not drinking and driving.
Officers will be out in full force on provincial roadways this holiday weekend.
