Nearly 300 charged in SDG in OPP Labour Day Weekend blitz

LONG SAULT – An increased enforcement effort by the SD&G OPP saw 299 charges laid between August 30 and September 2 as part of a Labour Day Weekend traffic blitz in the region.nnStormont, Dundas, and Glengarry OPP officers laid 299 charges in the county, including 168 for speeding and nine for stunt driving. One offender, stopped on Highway 401 in South Dundas, was nabbed for driving 182 kilometres an hour. The unidentified driver – who only had a G2 Driver’s Licence – saw his vehicle seized at the roadside and his licence suspended. The driver will appear in court at a future date.nnAnother stop on the 401 in South Stormont saw police stop a driver going 158 km/h in a 110 km zone. That driver’s licence was suspended, vehicle seized, and will appear in court at a future date.nnSD&G OPP laid 19 seatbelt charges, two impaired driving charges, and issued 62 warnings. No distracted driving charges were laid in SDG.nnAcross the East Region, police laid 1,020 speeding charges and 36 stunt driving charges. There were 72 seatbelt charges, 48 impaired charges, and 34 charges for distracted driving. Nearly 500 warnings were issued as well. A total of 1,653 charges were laid by the police in the region, the balance of which were under the Highway Traffic Act, Liquor Licence Act, for off-road vehicles, insurance or Criminal Code charges. There were at least three fatalities on the roads.nnInspector Walid Kandar, OPP East Region traffic and marine manager, said that officers will continue to focus on highway and roadway safety.nn“Sadly, we saw multiple fatalities on our roadways over the long weekend,” said Kandar. “These tragic incidents remain under investigation. In general, it’s known that speeding impaired driving and distracted driving are major contributors to serious and fatal collisions. The OPP continues to urge drivers to make every effort to ensure safety on the roads.”