Crash involving transport trucks along Highway 402 WB. November 20, 2019 (Photo via Ontario511.ca cameras)Crash involving transport trucks along Highway 402 WB. November 20, 2019 (Photo via Ontario511.ca cameras)
Windsor

OPP lay more than 6,000 charges in province-wide blitz

The Ontario Provincial Police laid a whopping 6,049 charges during its week-long Operation Safe Driver blitz on OPP-patrolled roads.

The campaign between July 12 and July 18 targeted both commercial and non-commercial drivers and focused on speeding.

The OPP said it was well-prepared for the blitz after the highest number of crashes involving commercial vehicles in two decades in 2019.

Last year, there were 8,432 crashes involving transport trucks on OPP-patrolled roads, and 1,249 were related to speeding. There were 96 deaths and 1,078 injuries. The year before, there were 7,719 crashes and 62 fatalities.

More than half of the charges laid were for speeding. Police handed 3,687 speeding tickets to non-commercial drivers. Another 251 charges were for not wearing a seatbelt, or not wearing it correctly. Officers also laid 112 charges for distracted driving, and 85 drivers were charged for driving while impaired.

A total of 145 charges for speeding were laid against commercial vehicle drivers. Document-related offences accounted for 110 charges, while another 104 drivers had moving violations, 45 had defective equipment, and 21 face charges related to their speed limiter.

Police took 19 commercial vehicles off the road.

Operation Safe Driver is an annual campaign led by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance. It is held across Canada, the U.S. and Mexico to improve traffic safety.

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