Four Deaths and Multiple Charges Mark End of Long Weekend on Ontario Roads

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Published August 9, 2019 at 5:59 pm

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Police say officers responded to two fatalities and issued multiple tickets over the Civic Holiday weekend in Ontario.

“Thousands of drivers throughout the province chose to be issued traffic citations rather than be the safe motorists the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) had hoped they would be over the Civic Day Long Weekend,” the OPP said in a recent news release. 

Although police informed drivers about the OPP’s Move Over Campaign ahead of the long weekend, police say they laid 355 charges against drivers who failed to slow down and change lanes for emergency vehicles and tow trucks parked on the roadside when it was safe to do so.

Police say that aggressive drivers dominated the traffic offence categories, with officers laying 4,837 speeding charges and 148 stunt driving/racing charges. 

Speed violations accounted for more than half of the 8,377 traffic charges issued by the OPP over the long weekend.

Police also say that two men, aged 29 and 37, were killed in separate motor vehicle collisions on OPP-patrolled roads. 

Driver inattention and excessive speed were reported as the primary causes in the incidents.    

Police also say that two other men, aged 27 and 41, who were killed in separate off-road vehicle collisions. 

Police say the loss of control and excessive speed were the primary causes, and alcohol was a factor in one of the incidents.  

The OPP says that loss of control and excessive speed were contributing factors in nine of this year’s 12 off-road vehicle deaths, adding that more than half of the deceased were not wearing a helmet.

Alcohol and drug use were factors in at least three of the incidents.

Anyone who plans to use off-road vehicles this summer is asked to exercise caution and never drive while impaired.

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