All 165 OPP detachments, including the Rainy River District detachment, are taking part in the annual Canada Road Safety Week campaign aimed at making our roads the safest in the world.
This year’s campaign runs from 12:01 a.m. on May 13 to 11:59 p.m. on May 19.
“The goal of Canada Road Safety Week is to increase public compliance with safe driving measures and, ultimately, to save lives,” OPP Commissioner Julian Fantino said.
“We will be targeting aggressive drivers, those who drink and drive, and those who don’t buckle up.
“We will also be watching for motorists who don’t slow down and, where possible, move over when passing an emergency vehicle parked on the shoulder of the road with its emergency lights flashing,” Fantino added.
Last year in Ontario, 451 people were killed in crashes on roads patrolled by the OPP.
Transport Canada statistics for 2006, the last full year available, indicate that 2,889 people were killed in collisions across the country and another 15,281 were seriously injured.
To date in 2008, there have been eight people killed in the Northwest Region—up from six during the same period last year.
In a recent seatbelt enforcement campaign, Rainy River District OPP officers checked 3,914 vehicles and issued 52 seatbelt-related charges.
There have been 10 people charged with impaired driving-related offences.
“For many years, the OPP, along with police agencies across the country, have collaborated to raise the awareness regarding issues of public safety on our roads,” said Sgt. Dave Saunders of the Rainy River District detachment.
“We also use this campaign to demonstrate our commitment to public safety and community wellness,” he noted.
Canada Road Safety Week supports Canada’s Road Safety Vision 2010—a plan to make Canada’s roads the safest in the world by 2010.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
