The Ontario Provincial Police are reporting the deadliest Labour Day Long Weekend in 20 years.
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The OPP report 12 road fatalities, one marine death and one off-road vehicle fatality over the weekend in areas they patrol.
One of the fatal incidents involved a single-vehicle crash in northwestern Ontario that took the lives of four of the vehicle occupants.
Despite province-wide warnings and a steady stream of messaging on social media, OPP laid almost 800 distracted or inattentive driving charges over the weekend.
According to an August 30 statement, the Ontario Provincial Police said distracted driving-related deaths are on track to double the number of impaired driving-related fatalities this year.
In spite of these efforts, officers laid close to 800 distracted or inattentive driving charges against motorists during the holiday weekend.
Caledon OPP laid more than 500 charges over the weekend.
Distracted driving laws were introduced in Ontario in 2009.
“We need to have people understand that their own personal safety is at risk if the driver is not paying attention to the road”, said OPP Sgt. Kerry Schmidt. Beginning last fall, the minimum fine for distracted driving rose to $490 plus three demerit points.
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“Don’t be a passenger of a distracted driver”.
