OPERATION IMPACT RESULTS

AURORA, ON, Oct. 12 /CNW/ - The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) took part in Operation Impact, a Canada-wide traffic initiative aimed at saving lives and reducing serious injuries on our roads by increasing public awareness and compliance with traffic safety laws.  This national road safety initiative ran from Friday October 8 through to Monday evening October 11, 2010.

During this long holiday weekend eight people lost their lives on Ontario roadways and trails.  Six were killed in highway collisions, and two were fatally injured while riding on ATV's.  There were no marine related fatalities.  Comparatively, last year no one died on OPP patrolled roads, and there were no fatalities relating to ATV or marine incidents.

Of the six roadway fatalities, One collision involved a motorcycle and also, two people were killed as a result of colliding with a moose prompting police to remind motorists that this time of the year, between dusk and dawn deer and moose have a tendency to be more active on highways and roadways. Motorists are reminded to adjust their speed and remain vigilant for large  animals everywhere in the province. 

The OPP targeted excessive speeding and aggressive driving throughout the weekend.  This resulted in the OPP laying 6,874 speeding charges, 114 for drinking and driving criminal charges and a further 772 individuals were charged for not wearing their seatbelts. In all 11,160 charges were laid by OPP officers this Thanksgiving long weekend.

"OPP Deputy Commissioner Larry Beechey responsible for traffic safety said "the tragic loss of lives was preventable.  Although our officers were out in full force to promote safety through targeted enforcement, we also continue to rely on motorists to slow down and be more cautious. The lives of those families who lost loved ones this weekend will be changed forever. "

The OPP will continue to work with police agencies across this country to increase public compliance with safe driving measures and ultimately, to save lives while making Canada's highways the safest in the world.

For further information:

	Contacts by OPPRegion:
Highway Safety Division:	Sergeant Dave Woodford	Phone: [phone]
Central Region:	Constable Peter Leon	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:	Constable Aaron McPhail	Phone: [phone]