Canada Road Safety Week took place May 13 – May 19, 2014. This road safety campaign is an annual collaborative effort by Canadian Police Services to target high risk driving behaviours that put drivers and others at risk. It is an enforcement-driven initiative designed to increase public awareness and compliance with safe driving measures and ultimately save lives. It is timed strategically with the Victoria Day Long Week as there is a tendency for a high volume of travellers on the roadways at that time.
Throughout the week, Greater Sudbury Police officers conducted enforcement and responded to aggressive driving complaints. Some incidents that resulted in charges included, a school bus driver operating a school bus occupied with students charged with speeding, a driver operating a Dodge pickup truck driving in an aggressive manner that resulted in a 3 day suspension and the aggressive driving behaviour of another motorist resulting in a collision and charges.
The Traffic Management Unit partnered with Uniform Traffic Liaison Officers to target offences such as;
· Impaired Driving by alcohol or drug
· Suspending and Prohibited Driving
· Distracted Driving
· Aggressive Driving
· Improper use of seatbelts
In addition to over 20 provincial offences notices for various violations, the following notices were also issued;
· 47 Speeding
· 10 Cell phones
· 15 Bylaws
· 7 Seatbelt offences
· 2 Stunt offences
· 2 Suspended Driving offences
The Traffic Management Unit would like to remind motorists that High Risk Driving Behaviours will be the focus throughout the month of May as part of the 12 Month High Visibility Program.
The Greater Sudbury Police Service also recently announced our ongoing campaign “The Eyes Have It – Stoned Driving is Impaired Driving”. Driving under the influence of both legal and illegal substances is a growing challenge. Police officers across Canada including within our police service are trained in the area of Standard Field Sobriety Tests and Drug Recognition Evaluations.
Impaired driving by drug is not limited to illegal drugs. Check with your physician and/or pharmacist about any side effects of medication that could potentially impair your ability to drive. Also read all labels on both prescribed and over the counter medication.
Let’s work together to keep people safe on our roadways.