The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) reported its officers laid a total of 177 charges across Chatham-Kent and Elgin County during a Canada Day enforcement blitz.
The OPP said most of the charges laid were for speeding.
The traffic enforcement campaign ran from June 26 until July 5 and highlighted the importance of lifesaving equipment like seatbelts, helmets, and personal flotation devices.
Police also focused education and enforcement efforts on discouraging unsafe driving behaviours, such as speeding, distracted driving, and impaired driving.
Here's a breakdown of the charges laid in the Chatham-Kent area this year:
· 32 charges for failure to wear a seatbelt
· two charges for failure to wear a helmet (bicycle, motorcycle).
· one personal flotation device charge
· one distracted driving charge
· three impaired driving charges
· 138 speeding charges
Last year, the local OPP laid 242 traffic-related charges during the campaign, including 144 speeding charges and 24 seatbelt charges.
According to police, speeding is the leading cause of injuries or death in traffic collisions.
