OPP Intensify Highway Crackdown

[Cableguy]

Every year it's the same story. The warm weather comes, a long weekend starts, and people flock from the GTA like birds from winter.
But in the process, amidst crowded roads and frustrated faces, certain individuals take the opportunity to do some dangerous things on the province's highways, and the Ontario Provincial Police are working overtime to limit just that sort of thing. As of late Saturday, several hundred charges had already been made and they're expecting thousands more before Tuesday morning. But unlike long weekends in the past, the OPP are no longer calling it a "safety blitz."
"To us, a blitz is a short-term localized enforcement event," said OPP Sgt. Cam Woolley. "It's a seven day a week, 24-hour process."
So who are the main offenders?
"Every officer that's out here, we're looking for three things," Woolley admits. "Seatbelts, aggressive driving and impairment.
"This is life and death," he continued. "When you consider the energy of the weight of the car and the speed of the vehicles . what they're doing is like firing a gun into the crowd."
Over Victoria Day weekend in 2006,

[Cableguy]

Most people consider the Victoria Day long weekend the official start to summer and that means a lot more drivers on the road as the mass exodus to get up north or to any other out-of-town destination begins. Even those who decide to stay in the city usually find it hard to get around with so much congestion on the roads.
That's why OPP are blitzing this weekend keeping their eyes open for reckless drivers. But the crack down doesn't just apply to motorists, officers will also be watching camping trails and waterways.
"It's not all about the police. It's about all of us collectively working together using common sense, obeying the rules of the road in order to get home safe and sound at the end of the day," said Julian Fantino OPP Commissioner in a press conference on Friday. Officials also want to remind people to buckle up and of course, don't drink and drive.
Sgt. Cam Woolley stresses that road safety isn't just a holiday issue.

"Rather than in just a small sort of blitz, single location stand-alone events, there's an actual year round 7 day-a-week, 24-hour-a-day strategy. We've been doing this since start of the year and we're seeing excellent results."
In fact the O.P.P. have laid 20,000 more charges than they did at the same time last year.
Their diligent stance also applies to the water.
"This is probably our most dangerous time of the year," reveals Sgt. Rich Baker of the Toronto Marine Unit.
"People go out in the water and they're not prepared and they don't have the proper equipment in the boat."
Brian Patterson from the Ontario Safety League wants boaters to be ready for anything. "There's going to be congestion, be prepared for it. And if you're going to haul precious cargo make sure you stay out of the blind spot of all the commercial vehicles on the road and that you stay safe."
OPP officers aren't the only ones who'll be cracking the whip this weekend. Officials from the Ministry of Transportation will be inspecting trucks over the next three days especially after a serious accident that took place on Highway 404 and Rutherford Road around midday Friday.