NEWS RELEASE
ONTARIO PROVINCIAL POLICE
******************************
COUNTY OF WELLINGTON - From June 27 through to July 5, 2020, the Wellington County Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) participated in the Canada Day Week Traffic Safety Initiative. During that time period, Wellington County OPP members conducted strict, high visibility enforcement on our local roadways that focused on enforcing the "Big 4" offences of speeding/aggressive driving, impaired driving, distracted driving and seatbelts. These "Big 4" offences are commonly found to be contributing factors in fatal and serious injury motor vehicle collisions.
Officers made extensive patrols of Wellington County roadways and as a result Wellington County OPP officers laid a total of 244 charges during the course of the campaign. This was a significant increase over the total of 204 charges laid during the 2019 campaign. Some highlights from the charges that were laid were:
• 165 speeding charges (up from 96 in 2019)
• 11 stunt driving related offences (up from five in 2019)
• 44 other Highway Traffic Act charges
• eight impaired driving (up from four in 2019)
• five marine charges for improper or insufficient lifejackets
"The most important statistic from the campaign is the fact that our detachment area had zero fatal collisions during the campaign period. I have no doubt that our officers being out and highly visible on our roadways helped contribute towards safer driver behaviour. Wellington County OPP would like to thank the countless members of our community who made the conscious decision to drive in a safe and appropriate manner. By working together with our communities we can ensure that Wellington County roadways are some of the safest in the province." - Sgt. Darryl Porterfield, Traffic Management Unit, Wellington County OPP.
******************************
