OPP reminding motorists to drive safe this Easter long weekend

AURORA, ON, April 3, 2012 /CNW/ - The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) is committed to road safety. As a driver, your actions directly impact your safety and the safety of other motorists. With the Easter Long Weekend approaching and as the weather improves, the roads get busier.  Here are some important tips to remember every time you get behind the wheel of a motor vehicle:

Pay Attention to the Road.

• Distracted drivers are a safety risk! It is illegal in Ontario for drivers to use any handheld communication and entertainment devices (not exclusive to cell phones) while operating a motor vehicle. We have seen a decrease in the number of persons using handheld devices, but we are concerned about the large number of drivers who continue to engage in this dangerous activity.

Buckle Up - Seatbelts Save Lives.

• All Ontario drivers and passengers must wear a seatbelt in a properly adjusted and securely fastened manner.  It's the law. Making sure your children are also secure in a properly installed child restraint is equally as important. Wearing a seatbelt properly will dramatically increase your chance of surviving a motor vehicle collision.

Obeying the Speed Limits.

• Speed continues to be the number one cause of motor vehicle fatalities in Ontario. Slowing down, and obeying the posted speed limit, will reduce the number of fatal crashes and serious injury collisions.  Are you doing your part?

Slow Down or Move Over.

• Drivers must remember when passing an emergency vehicle stopped with its emergency lights activated in the same direction of travel, either in a lane or on the shoulder of a road or highway, to slow down and pass with caution. If the road has two or more lanes, you must move over into another lane, if it can be done safely.

Don't Drink and Drive.

• Impaired driving continues to be among the leading criminal causes of death in Canada. The OPP conducts R.I.D.E. spot checks throughout the year to remove the threat of the impaired driver. Do your part by not drinking and driving.

Chief Superintendent Don Bell, Commander of the Highway Safety Division reminds motorists that while our officers will be out in full force on our Provincial roadways this holiday weekend, traffic safety is in everyone's best interest. By working together we can make Ontario's highways the safest in the world!

Contacts by OPP Region:
Highway Safety Division: Sergeant Dave Woodford Phone: [phone]
Central Region:  Sergeant Peter Leon  Phone: [phone]
Eastern Region:  Sergeant Kristine Rae  Phone: [phone] 
Northeast Region:  Inspector Mark Andrews Phone: [phone]
Northwest Region:  Sergeant Shelley Garr  Phone: [phone]
Western Region: Sergeant Dave Rektor Phone: [phone]