OPP cracking down on irresponsible drivers
Last Updated: Tuesday, July 27, 2010 | 1:23 PM ET
CBC News
Ontario Provincial Police say officers will be cracking down on driving offences after a spike in traffic fatalities.
Police said traffic deaths are up this year on roads patrolled by the provincial force, after dramatic drops in the prior two years.
"During the month of July, for example, we had 46 people killed on OPP-patrolled highways, compared to 28 last year," OPP Sgt. Dave Woodford said.
“We relate that to what we call the big three: aggressive driving, failure to wear seatbelt restraints and impaired driving,” he said.
There were 163 deaths this year as of Sunday on roads patrolled by the provincial police, up from 154 in the same period of 2009.
The provincial government announced new rules Monday that require all drivers 21 years old and under to have zero blood alcohol levels while they are behind the wheel, regardless of their licence class.
The new rules, which take effect on Aug.1, also include a system of escalating sanctions for young and novice drivers who repeatedly violate traffic regulations.
With files from The Canadian PressShare Tools
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