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Chatham

OPP Says Slow Down

Several drivers were charged by Chatham-Kent OPP officers this holiday long weekend.

A total of 89 drivers were charged during the four days. Of those, 64 were for speeding and one was for impaired driving.

The Ontario Provincial Police says speeding drivers are the number one cause of road fatalities so far this year, with the death toll in this category 76% higher than this time last year.

As of June 26, speeding has been linked with 30 road deaths on OPP-patrolled roads, compared to 17 in 2016.

The OPP says excessive speed continues to threaten the safety of other road users with more than 1,400 charges so far this year laid by the OPP against drivers clocked at 50 km/h or more over the posted speed limit.

"For some drivers, instances of speeding and other forms of aggressive driving are frequent and for others, they are part of their everyday driving behaviour. Last year, our officers laid more than 240,000 speeding charges against drivers who took the lives of other road users into their own hands," says OPP Deputy Commissioner Brad Blair.

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