Officers with OPP West Region’s 13 detachments laid hundreds of seat-belt charges during the Easter long weekend traffic campaign.
From Friday, April 18, 2025, until April 21, 2025, West Region officers from the 13 detachments in the region laid 338 seat-belt charges under Ontario’s seat-belt laws. 133 of those charges were laid by officers in the Grey-Bruce detachment.
Failure to wear a seat-belt caused, or was a contributing factor, in the deaths of 60 Ontarians in collisions on Ontario Provincial Police (OPP)-patrolled roads last year. 26 deaths of those deaths were in West Region alone.
Along with aggressive driving, impaired driving and distracted driving, failure to wear a seat-belt is one of the OPP’s “Big Four” leading contributing factors to death, injury and property damage on the province’s roads and highways.
The OPP will continue to enforce the seat-belt law in an effort to reduce the number of needless and preventable deaths in Southwestern Ontario and beyond.
“The tragic reality is that too many lives are lost every year in collisions where seatbelts could have made the difference. West Region officers are committed to reducing these preventable deaths through ongoing education and enforcement. Buckling up is one of the simplest actions anyone can take to protect themselves and their loved ones,” sad Inspector Mike McConnell, OPP West Region Traffic and Marine Manager.
