Thousands of drivers throughout the province chose to be issued traffic citations rather than be safe motorists over the Civic Day long weekend.
Despite letting drivers know about their Move Over Campaign ahead of the long weekend, the OPP laid 355 charges against drivers who were in a position, but failed to slow down and, when safe to do so, change lanes for emergency vehicles and tow trucks parked on the roadside.
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.
Sadly, two men, aged 29 and 37 were killed in separate motor vehicle accidents on OPP-patrolled roads. Driver inattention and excessive speed were reported as the primary causes in the incidents.
The weekend was cut short for two other men, aged 27 and 41, who were killed in separate off-road vehicle accidents. The OPP reported loss of control and excessive speed as primary causes and alcohol being a factor in one of the incidents.
With many weeks of summer remaining, the OPP is reporting that loss of control and excessive speed were contributing factors in nine of this year's 12 off-road vehicle deaths. More than half of the deceased were not wearing a helmet and alcohol/drug use was a factor in at least three of the incidents.
