Stunt driving, impaired charges laid by OPP Ottawa over the long weekend

In May of this year Ontario Provincial Police caught a driver going 156 km/h on Highway 417.

Over the long weekend, police said they caught the same person stunt driving again even though his previous charge is still before the courts. In the May incident the driver fled and later turned himself in, this time he stayed. Officers say his mom came to pick him up since he received a roadside suspension and his vehicle was impounded.

This driver is one of many who was charged over the August long weekend by police for stunt driving.

Ottawa OPP media relations officer Michael Fathi told CityNews only once in his career has he caught the same driver twice for speeding — not stunt driving.

“It’s definitely not a common thing, but there’s no way to run statistics to find that,” he said. “We don’t keep track of that.  Only the Ministry of Transportation would have that information, as it would be on the individuals driving record.”

Police from the Ottawa detachment laid 111 charges over the weekend, including 65 for speeding, eight stunt driving, two impaired and three distracted driving.

Despite more activity on the roads with people travelling, Fathi said OPP does not deploy more officers to compete with the increase.

“However, the OPP TIME team was also working over the weekend and that was an extra two officers,” he said.

Around the nation’s capital OPP detachments laid many charges to drivers.

Grenville OPP laid a total of 94, including two stunt driving and several speeding charges. One of the priorities for police was to ensure drivers moved over for emergency vehicles, seven people were charged for not doing that.

“This is expected when it is clear that it was safe to move over, and includes when tow trucks are working with lights activated,” Grenville OPP said in a post on X.

Near Kingston, the Lennox and Addington County OPP detachment laid over 117 traffic-related charges including “dozens” for speeding, seatbelt infractions and stunt driving.

Officials were also patrolling trails and forests in Bancroft and Renfrew where nine charges for liquor, one for cannabis and a suspended driver were laid. Police also handed out 50 warnings.