April 13, 2023 at 12:13 am
The Lambton OPP handed out nine seat belt tickets at this year’s Easter traffic safety campaign, down from 27 in 2019.
CST. Jamie Bydeley said the campaign focused primarily on seat belt violations.
“A secondary focus is on the remaining ‘big four’, alcohol-related driving, speeding and distracted driving,” Bydeley said in an email to Sarnia News Today.
A total of 117 charges were laid by the Lambton OPP over three days, including 64 speeding tickets, four impaired driving charges and one distracted driving charge. That’s up from 99 charges over the same weekend last year.
Bidley said the Easter Traffic Initiative has been in place for more than 10 years. Four seat belt tickets were issued in 2022 and 15 in 2021. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this event has been canceled for 2020.
Bydeley said the OPP’s traffic campaigns are designed to remind drivers of these safety issues frequently throughout the year in order to reduce or eliminate the tragic fatalities that occur on Ontario roads each year.
“Properly wearing your seat belt greatly increases your chances of surviving a motor vehicle crash,” he said. “As a driver or passenger, it’s important to respect the life-saving value of seat belts, and the fact that the best position in a crash is securely strapped in your seat.”