Highways, trails, waterways to be patrolled
Oct 10, 2008 - 11:41 AM
DURHAM -- Police have launched an aggressive campaign to keep the area's roadways safe as the busy Thanksgiving weekend begins.
Ontario Provincial Police officers in Durham and Northumberland will join their colleagues across the province in the effort, targeting speeders, aggressive drivers, and impaired motorists.
The initiative began Friday morning and will continue through Monday night. OPP officers will be patrolling roads in cruisers and from above in aircraft, and also plan to set up RIDE (Reduce Impaired Driving Everywhere) checks throughout the weekend.
Officers will also be patrolling trails and waterways during the weekend.
The Thanksgiving weekend is traditionally among the busiest on Ontario's roads, according to the OPP. Commissioner Julian Fantino said in a statement the weekend enforcement effort is a continuation of a year-long safety initiative that has seen a 30 per cent reduction in fatalities on the province's roads.
As of early October 240 people had died in collisions, compared to 362 over the same period last year, the commissioner said, noting that speeding, drinking and driving and failure to wear seatbelts were leading factors in those fatalities.
"The tragedy of losing a loved one in a traffic collision has touched many of us," Commissioner Fantino said in a statement.
"The involvement not only of the police but also the driving public is essential in making our roads the safest they can be."
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