OPP Report Two Long Weekend Fatalities, Numerous Charges Laid During Canada Road Safety Week

Woman Killed in Distracted Driving Incident, One Drowning

ORILLIA, ON, May 21, 2013 /CNW/ - The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) kept very busy over the Victoria Day Long Weekend, ensuring that people were keeping safe on roads, waterways and trails throughout the province.

While the numbers are preliminary, over the long weekend, one pedestrian was killed in a motor vehicle collision and one person drowned while canoeing.  Sadly, the pedestrian was a 79 year-old woman who died after being struck by a driver who was reportedly using a hand-held communications device. The drowning victim was reportedly not wearing a personal floatation device (PFD) at the time of the incident.

According to the OPP, these two fatalities are harsh reminders of the dangers associated with driving while distracted, the importance of wearing a PFD and how completely preventable these tragedies were.

Even one loss of life is one too many but the OPP was relieved to see this number down significantly from last year's Victoria Day Long Weekend when nine people died in nine separate motor vehicle collisions on OPP-patrolled roads and highways.

Over the long weekend, the OPP laid 8,289 speeding charges, 330 distracted driving charges, 112 alcohol and/or drug impaired driving charges and 826 seat belt charges. The OPP also issued 108 Warn Range suspensions to those whose Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) was in the .05 to .08 range.

OPP officers were also busy doing their part to support Canada Road Safety Week, a national campaign that ran from May 13 to May 20, 2013. As part of this heightened enforcement campaign, officers were on close watch for motorists who drove aggressively, distracted or impaired, and drivers and passengers who were not wearing seat belts.

During the week-long campaign, OPP officers laid more than 15,000 charges which included 12,155 speeding charges, 104 street racing charges, 778 distracted driving charges, 141 impaired driving charges, 1,237 seat belt charges and other charges under the Criminal Code of Canada and Highway Traffic Act. 

The OPP would like to thank Ontario residents and visitors for doing their part to make this one of the safest Victoria Day Long Weekends on record.

SOURCE: Ontario Provincial Police

Contacts by OPP Region:

Highway Safety Division:  
Sgt. Dave Woodford    
Phone: [phone] 

Central Region:  
Sgt. Peter Leon    
Phone: [phone] 

East Region:   
Sgt. Kris Rae    
Phone: [phone] 

Northwest Region:  
Sgt. Shelley Garr   
Phone: [phone] 

Northeast Region:  
Sgt. Jim McGill   
Phone: [phone] 

West Region: 
Sgt. Dave Rektor 
Phone: [phone]