Police will be out in full force this week to mark Canada Road Safety Week.
Since January 1st, the OPP is reporting 76 fatal collisions, with a significant number of them due to aggressive, distracted, and impaired drivers, as well as unbuckled passengers.
OPP Constable Dave Holmes calls those numbers ‘staggering’.
“Investigation at those collisions showed that eight of them were alcohol and drug-related, 14 were related to inattentive driving, 24 were speed-related, and 13 of those people were not wearing seat belts,” Holmes said.
Holmes says with the long weekend, they expect the roads to be quite busy.
He says if you’re planning to consume any alcohol or drugs, you should plan ahead, and only get behind the wheel when you are sober.
“Given we’ve already had 76 people die on our roads just goes to show that we’re already halfway through the year, and we’re already at a high number like that,” Holmes said. “This is something that the public should be more educated about.”
Holmes adds the OPP takes reports of dangerous driving very seriously, and they have the tools and resources to detect roadside impairment.
If you think someone is driving impaired, you can contact the OPP or CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.