OPP patrols highways for Easter weekend safety blitz

The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) is out patrolling highways across the province for the Easter long weekend — a time when more cars than usual will be on the roads.

They’re teaming up with state police in New York, Vermont, Maine and New Hampshire and the Sûreté du Québec.

Officers are targeting people who don’t wear seatbelts and impaired, aggressive and distracted drivers. They also want to remind people to slow down and move over when passing emergency vehicles.

So far this year, 58 people have died on Ontario highways — nine of those because they weren’t wearing seatbelts.

“The OPP is very proud that Ontarians have a generally high compliance rate with seat belt laws, but there are still a handful of people who need to adopt the same voluntary compliance mindset as the majority of road users,” said Chief Supt. Don Bell.

“Driving is a privilege, but is too often thought of as a right.”

On March 18, fines for distracted driving jumped from $155 to $280.

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