OPP Report Deadliest Labour Day Weekend in 20 Years

Close to 800 Distracted Driving Charges Laid in Campaign

ORILLIA, ON, Sept. 6, 2016 /CNW/ - While the data is preliminary, the OPP is reporting 12 road fatalities, one marine fatality and one off-road vehicle death over the long weekend, marking the deadliest Labour Day Long Weekend in OPP-patrolled jurisdictions in 20 years.       

Tragically, one of the fatal incidents involved a single-vehicle crash in Northeastern Ontario that took the lives of four of the vehicle occupants.

The OPP also conducted a robust Distracted Driving Campaign over the long weekend. Ahead of the campaign, the OPP issued a province-wide News Release and maintained a steady flow of messaging on its provincial and regional social media platforms, calling on all road users, particularly passengers, to become part of the solution in reducing the significant number of distracted driving-related road deaths that occur every year.

In spite of these efforts, the OPP laid close to 800 distracted/inattentive driving charges against drivers who jeopardized the safety of innocent men, women and children who took to the roads to enjoy the last summer long weekend before the start of a new school year.

While the OPP conducts focused enforcement campaigns every year, officers enforce distracted driving and other traffic laws 365 days a year. This latest campaign brings the total number of distracted driving charges laid to date this year to over 8,800.   

SOURCE Ontario Provincial Police

Contacts by Region: Highway Safety Division: Sgt. Kerry Schmidt, Phone: [phone]; Central Region: A/Sgt. Lynda Cranney, Phone: [phone]; East Region: A/Sgt. Angie Atkinson, Phone: [phone]; Northwest Region: Prov. Const. Petrina Taylor-Hertz, Phone: [phone]; North East Region: Sgt. Chrystal Jones, Phone: [phone]; West Region: Sgt. Dave Rektor, Phone: [phone]