Over 750 charges were laid across southwestern Ontario during a recent OPP campaign targeting bad driving behaviours and illegally modified vehicles.
The "Drive Smart: Keep It Safe" campaign ran from September 23 to September 29.
In a video posted to X, West Region OPP called the campaign results "shocking."
"The big thing that is a concern of mine continues to be the amount of speeding vehicles that we're catching on our roadways. In his case, in the last week, almost 600," said Inspector Mike McConnell.
In total, OPP officers stopped 1,967 vehicles, 597 were for speeding and 26 were for stunt driving.
"When people are speeding, it really increases danger not just to themselves but to other motorists on the roadways and stunt driving is just that step above the excessive speeding, the aggressive driving, the very aggressive lane changes," said McConnell. "That type of driving behaviour has no place on our roadways."
The campaign also resulted in 86 modified vehicle charges and 76 criminal code traffic-related offences.
Sergeant Ed Sanchuk warned that while the campaign is over, officers will continue monitoring area roadways for unsafe driving behaviours.
"So if you see yourself speeding, aggressively driving, operating [illegally] modified vehicles, I can assure you that you're going to see these red and blue lights in your mirror," Sanchuk said.
West Region OPP said drivers who are caught stunt driving or street racing could face an immediate 30-day licence suspension, an immediate 14-day vehicle impoundment, a minimum fine of $2,000, and six demerit points. Drivers could also be subject to:
- A mandatory driver improvement course, upon conviction
- A jail term of up to six months
- A post-conviction licence suspension of a minimum of one year and a maximum of three years for the first conviction
- A minimum of three years and a maximum of 10 years for a second conviction
- A lifetime suspension, reducible after 10 years under certain criteria, for a third conviction
- A lifetime suspension, non-reducible, for a fourth and subsequent convictions