Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) will join police partners across Canada for “Operation Impact” over the Thanksgiving long weekend.
The campaign will clamp down on the “Big Four” causes of road deaths; aggressive driving, alcohol/drug impaired driving, inattentive driving and lack of seat belt use.
As of October 1, 2018 the deaths of 156 people on OPP patrolled roads have been linked to these contributing factors. Fifty deaths have been linked to speeding (one form of aggressive driving), 37 have been attributed to an inattentive driver and 35 deaths have involved a driver who had consumed alcohol and/or drugs. Failure to wear a seat belt was a factor in 34 people losing their lives in collisions on OPP-patrolled roads.
“So far this year, the OPP has laid more than 175,155 charges against aggressive, inattentive, alcohol and drug-impaired drivers, and unbuckled vehicle occupants. The three behaviours associated with driving are linked to 15,269 collisions to date, 95 of which were fatal. The goal of Operation Impact is not about issuing traffic tickets. It is about seeing every driver, without police intervention, refrain from risky driving behaviours and every vehicle occupant buckled up.”
Operation Impact is an annual initiative sponsored by the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police. It is part of Canada’s broader Road Safety Strategy 2025 which aims to make Canada’s roads the safest in the world.
