Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) West Region members laid hundreds of charges over the course of this year’s ‘Operation Impact’ Thanksgiving long weekend traffic campaign.
‘Operation Impact’ aims to reduce the number of preventable motor vehicle fatalities, injuries, and collisions on roadways through targeted police enforcement and public education. Police focus on the main causal factors in road fatalities in Canada: impaired driving, aggressive driving, failure to wear a seatbelt, distracted driving, and driver fatigue.
From October 10 until October 13, officers from OPP West Region’s 13 detachments made 2,089 traffic stops, laying a total of 1,832 charges for a variety of infractions.
OPP West Region ‘Big Four’ traffic campaign charges are below. Figures from 2024 are in parentheses for comparison:
- Speeding: 919 (939)
- Failure to wear a seatbelt: 75 (57)
- Distracted Driving: 47 (6)
- Impaired Driving: 36 (54)
West Region members also charged 41 (29) individuals with Stunt Driving/Racing.
“Operation Impact continues to show the positive results of our officers’ engagement, education, and enforcement efforts. Each interaction over the Thanksgiving weekend was aimed at preventing serious collisions and saving lives. While it’s encouraging to see many motorists making safe choices, the number of distracted and stunt driving charges reminds us there is still work to do. Every charge represents a potentially serious collision that was prevented through these proactive enforcement efforts,” said Inspector Mike McConnell, OPP West Region Traffic Safety and Marine Manager.
