Ontario Provincial Police say they laid more than 8,000 charges involving high-risk driving over the Easter long weekend across the province.
Sgt. Kerry Schmidt, spokesperson for the OPP’s highway safety division, said in a video on X, formerly Twitter, that police ticketed motorists for distracted, impaired and aggressive driving and for not wearing seatbelts. Those offences are the leading causes of death and injury on highways, he said.
The OPP paid particular attention to seatbelt compliance and safety equipment from Friday to Monday, he added.
Police charged 6,400 people with speeding, 1,200 people with seatbelt-related offences, 150 people with stunt driving, 140 people with impaired driving and 130 with distracted driving, he said.
“Please, do your part,” Schmidt said in the video.
“Always buckle up, wear that seatbelt, obey the speed limits, put down the phone, and never drive impaired. Please, take care of yourself, take care of everybody else in your vehicle, and share the road safely and responsibly.”
Over 8000 charges involving high-risk driving issued over the Easter long weekend. <br>Please do your part, share the road safely, responsibly, and <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/DriveSafe?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#DriveSafe</a>. ^ks <a href=”https://t.co/ge84tD4Ndw”>pic.twitter.com/ge84tD4Ndw</a>
—@OPP_HSD