During Canada Road Safety Week (May 12-18, 2020) the OPP is joining police services across Canada, ensuring drivers and other roads users are helping to keep roads safe.

As of May 4th, 71 people have died in fatal collisions on OPP-patrolled roads. This time last year, there were 61 deaths. Inattentive-related deaths are up 300 per cent over last year.

“Drivers need to carefully consider the main behaviours and actions that are linked to the many lives lost on our roads every year,” says OPP Chief Superintendent Rohan Thompson, Commander, Highway Safety Division. “Fatigue and prescription drug use are forms of impaired driving. Aggressive driving isn’t just about speeding, it includes tail-gaiting and other unsafe maneuvers. Distracted driving isn’t just about cell phones, it’s also about programming your GPS or eating behind the wheel. Safe drivers mean safe roads. Drive like your life depends on it, because it does.”

West Nipissing OPP say they are encouraging people to “think differently” about problematic driving behaviours by broadening their understanding of the rules.

Police are encouraging motorists to acknowledge the bad habits they may not have realized they had and to change their driving behaviours accordingly.

Police say they will be highly visible in efforts to keep roads safe while targeting high-risk behaviours which account for the majority of motor vehicle collisions and fatalities.

(photo by station staff)

 

Filed under: opp, road-safety-week