OPP officer rear-ended on Hwy. 417
Posted May 30, 2025 04:04:12 PM.
Last Updated May 30, 2025 04:04:18 PM.
Around the noon rush hour, an Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) officer was out conducting traffic enforcement along Highway 417.
The stretch of roadway is under heavy construction near Parkdale Avenue, creating frustrations for drivers and slow-moving traffic.
Friday, the officer was stopped in heavy traffic when another vehicle rear-ended them. No one faced any injuries, but the driver behind the officer was charged with following too closely. A penalty that comes with a $110 fine and two demerit points upon conviction.
“With all the construction in that area, drivers need to take extra care when travelling through there,” police said in a post. “Keep a safe distance, don’t make sudden lane changes, and stay off your phones.”
According to data from Statistics Canada, distraction accounts for 19.9 per cent of fatal collisions, along with speeding and impaired driving.
In Ontario, a driver using a phone is four times more likely to crash than a driver focusing on the road, according to the province’s website. This results in one person injured in distracted driving every half an hour.
Recent statistics from OPP indicate that distracted driving has surpassed impaired driving as the leading cause of vehicle-related deaths in Ontario.
