Distracted driving remains a serious concern on Northumberland roads.
That’s the takeaway from a recent campaign as Northumberland OPP ramped up distracted driving enforcement, which resulted in a slew of charges being laid.
Northumberland OPP Const. James Clarke says the recent focused enforcement initiative was initiated to address the ongoing and dangerous issue of distracted driving on local roads.
“The goal was simple: Reduce collisions, change driver behaviour and reinforce that distraction behind the wheel is never worth the risk,” he explains.
However, despite nearly 100 charges laid during the campaign, Clarke says some critical messaging still needs to register with drivers.
While official provincial data is still lagging behind several years, the Ontario government points to more 30,000 crashes involving distracted or inattentive drivers in 2022 alone. These collisions resulted in nearly 11,000 injuries and 100 deaths.
However, data does show drivers engaged in distraction-related behaviours “significantly increase their risk of causing serious or fatal crashes” – and distracted driving remains a leading cause of collisions provincewide.
Back in Northumberland, over the course of just OPP’s latest week-long enforcement initiative, police have confirmed 52 cellphone-related charges were laid, in addition to three seatbelt offences and 39 Highway Traffic Act charges.
This has prompted a simple message from Clarke – and it should be an easy ask for motorists.
Police are calling on residents to do better while behind the wheel, stressing even momentary inattention “can have devastating consequences.”
And in addition to deadly or devastating consequences, such offences can hit you in the pocketbook.
According to the Government of Ontario, using a hand-held device while driving isn’t just illegal – it can lead to penalties for distracted driving, including fines, demerit points, licence suspensions and soaring insurance costs.
More information on the province’s distracted driving laws and related penalties, as well as safety tips, is accessible online.
(Written by: Sarah Hyatt)