Police radar gun. © Can Stock Photo Inc. / Ottawa_PhotoPolice radar gun. © Can Stock Photo Inc. / Ottawa_Photo
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Ease Up On The Gas Pedal This Long Weekend

Ontario Provincial Police aren't playing around when it comes to safety on provincial roads, especially during a holiday.

The OPP said more than 4,800 racing charges and close to 213,000 speeding charges were laid in 2017 and they'll be keeping an eye out for more speeders over the Canada Day long weekend. According to the statistics behind those charges, men and women in their 20s and early 30s were the majority of offenders.

Speeding-related crashes causing death on OPP-patrolled roads reached a five-year high in 2017, which is why officers are gearing up to stop any dangerous drivers.

"You are contributing to preventable road deaths on OPP-patrolled roads every year that are linked to these aggressive driving behaviors," said OPP Deputy Commissioner Brad Blair. "We are urging all drivers to be mindful of this over the Canada Day Long Weekend and throughout the year."

OPP have broken it down to show the statistics behind the charges laid last year.

Provincial police said about 148,000 speeding charges were laid against male drivers, whereas over 65,000 speeding charged were laid against female drivers.

Male drivers charged with speeding:

  • 25 - 34 years: 37,498 charges
  • 35 - 44 years: 27,959 charges
  • 45 - 54 years: 26,212 charges
Female drivers charged with speeding by age group:
  • 25 - 34 years: 17,433 charges
  • 35 - 44 years: 12,817 charges
  • 45 - 54 years: 11,541 charges
As for those under the age description listed above, police said 5,939 charges were laid against men ages 16 to 20-years-old. Meanwhile, female drivers of the young age group accounted for 2,699 charges.

In terms of racing charges, more than 4,100 charges were laid against men and about 760 were issued to women.

Male drivers charged with street racing:

  • 25 - 34 years: 1,382 charges
  • 21 - 24 years: 968 charges
  • 35 - 44 years: 622 charges
Female drivers charged with street racing:
  • 25 - 34 years: 260 charges
  • 21 - 24 years: 155 charges
  • 35 - 44 years: 130 charges
For drivers who fall in the younger age group, police said 447 street racing charges were laid against males drivers, compared to 91 charges laid against females drivers (between the ages of 16 to 20 years old).

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