Speeders still ‘not getting the message’

OPP issue 1,871 tickets over August long weekend, 1,312 of those for speeding

Speed demons don’t seem to be getting the message, according to OPP Const. Guy Prevost, so police are more than happy to deliver it to them.

Provincial police reported a significant spike in Highway Traffic Act offences on OPP-patrolled roadways over the August long weekend, with 1,871 total tickets issued, a 36-per-cent increase over the same weekend last year.

The biggest increase was seen in speeding tickets, with OPP issuing 1,312 over the three-day weekend, a spike of nearly 60 per cent over the same period last year.

And it’s not just the number of speeders, but the speed they’re driving.

Police tagged 39 drivers with stunt driving, with speeds in excess of 50 km/h over the posted limit. That total more than doubles the 16 stunt racing charges from the 2016 August long weekend.

One of those drivers was ticketed in Ottawa, Prevost said.

“For some reason they’re not getting the message,” Prevost said. “And speed is one of the ‘Big Four’ factors in fatalities and serious injuries on the road (along with impaired, distracted and aggressive driving).

“I guess we’ll have to do some more education, because I’m not sure what else we can do. People see the results in these collisions.”

Prevost said the silver lining came in the number of highway fatalities — after a brutal 2016 long weekend that saw seven roadway fatalities, OPP dealt with only one this long weekend, following a multi-vehicle crash on Highway 7 near Maberly Monday evening.

Prevost said an increased number of patrol officers may have contributed.

“Hopefully, we caught the speeders before they went out and caused a collision,” said Prevost, calling it “an unfortunate correlation.”

Ottawa OPP officers saw 110 calls for service over the long weekend, with 84 speeding tickets and one stunt driving ticket issued on Ottawa’s OPP-patrolled highways.