OPP cracking down on dangerous driving this long weekend

The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) will conduct a traffic safety campaign on roads, trails and waterways this Civic long weekend.

The main focus will be on the ‘Move Over Law,’ which requires drivers to slow down and proceed with caution when passing an emergency vehicle parked on the side of a highway with lights activated. This includes ambulances, police vehicles and tow trucks.

If the highway has more than one lane, the law requires drivers to move over and leave one lane between their vehicle and the parked emergency vehicle if it is safe to do so.

“Police and other emergency personnel conduct their daily duties on the roadside of Ontario’s busiest roads and highways everyday and are put at risk by inattentive and careless drivers who fail to move over when safe to do so,” said OPP Deputy Commissioner Rohan Thompson. “Please comply with the move over law and respect that our dedicated officers and emergency workers deserve to get home to their families safely, as much as every other road user does.”

Failure to comply with the law carries a $490 to $2,000 fine plus three demerit points upon conviction. Subsequent offences carry a $1,000 to $4,000 fine, possible jail time of up to six months, and suspension of your driver’s licence for up to two years.

The OPP laid 1,282 charges in 2023 against drivers who failed to comply with the law.

Officers will also be cracking down on what they call the ‘big four’: Speeders, distracted drivers, impaired drivers and people who don’t wear their seat belts.

The safety campaign runs from Friday, Aug. 2 though Aug. 5.