Operation Corridor to target unsafe commercial vehicles

AURORA, ON, Aug. 16 /CNW/ - The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), in partnership with the Ministry of Transportation (MTO) and Ministry of the Environment (MOE) are set to launch Operation Corridor, an important annual highway safety initiative targeting aggressive commercial vehicle drivers and unsafe commercial vehicles on Ontario's busiest highways.

Operation Corridor will begin Wednesday, August 18, 2010 at 6:00 a.m. and ends Thursday, August 19 at 6:00 a.m. During this 24-hour period, OPP officers will focus on commercial vehicle speed and other aggressive driving behaviour. MTO and MOE inspectors will conduct truck inspections, looking closely for signs of poor maintenance, environmental violations and mechanical problems.

QUICK FACTS

Last year (2009), 1,532 vehicles were stopped during Operation Corridor, resulting in 285 charges being laid for offences such as speeding, following too closely, unsafe lane changes, impaired driving, seatbelt charges and other related offences.

QUOTES

"Commercial trucks have the potential to cause significant damage in collisions, endangering the lives of the many people who travel Ontario's busiest highways. What makes Operation Corridor highly effective is that commercial vehicles that are identified as being unsafe are subject to immediate intervention and taken out of service until remedial action is taken". - Deputy Commissioner Larry Beechey, Provincial Commander, OPP Traffic Safety & Operational Support.

"Operation Corridor is an excellent opportunity to educate commercial vehicle drivers about the importance of having a flawless safety checklist. When you consider the high volume of large, load-bearing commercial trucks on our highways each hour of each day, it is imperative that those who drive them are 100 per cent compliant with this checklist because it will ultimately save lives". - Chief Superintendent Bill Grodzinski, Divisional Commander, OPP Highway Safety Division.

"Ontario highways are among the safest in North America. Even though truck traffic has increased, there has been a decrease in fatal collisions involving large trucks over the past two decades. Safety blitzes like Operation Corridor help keep unsafe commercial vehicles off our roads, making them safer for everyone." - Ontario Minister of Transportation, Kathleen Wynne

LEARN MORE

Find out more about the OPP Provincial Traffic Safety Program

www.opp.ca/ecms/index.php?id=51

Get more information on commercial motor vehicles

www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/trucks/

Read more about Ontario's Heavy Duty Drive Clean Program

www.ene.gov.on.ca/en/air/driveclean/hdv.php

    
                                 www.opp.ca
    

For further information: Contacts by OPP Region: Highway Safety Division: Sergeant Dave Woodford, Phone: [phone]; Central Region: Sergeant Paulo DiFonte, Phone: [phone]; East Region: Sergeant Kristine Rae, Phone: [phone]; Northeast Region: Inspector Mark Andrews, Phone: [phone]; Northwest Region: Sergeant Shelley Garr, Phone: [phone]; West Region: Sgt Dave Rektor, Phone: [phone]