(New Tecumseth Township, ON) On Friday the 17th of October 2014 at 10:40 a.m., an officer with the Nottawasaga Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) was on general patrol on the 10th side road south of the 4th Line in the Township of New Tecumseth, when an erratic and careless driver was observed.
The female driver of a blue Toyota was observed passing in and out of traffic several times in an unsafe manner, and was stopped by the officer. Due to the observations made by the officer, the 68-year old female from Alliston was charged with Careless Driving contrary to Section 130 of the Highway Traffic Act.
Speeding, following too closely, making unsafe lane changes and failing to yield right-of-way are all forms of aggressive driving that place all road users at risk. Aggressive driving is dangerous and is the leading factor in fatal motor vehicle collisions (MVC) investigated by the OPP so far this year (as of June 15, 2014).
Aggressive driving is one of the “Big Four†driving behaviours that contribute to road fatalities in Ontario and that the OPP targets as part of its Provincial Traffic Safety Program (PTSP), in their efforts to save lives. The OPP Provincial Traffic Safety Program tries to change driver behaviour through high visibility, education and targeted enforcement to save lives. The 10th Sideroad is the location of the most recent fatal motor vehicle collision this week, and the OPP are seeing a trend in fatalities that needs to be reversed. Drive with no distractions, don’t speed or drive aggressively, and wear your seatbelt so we can all arrive safely.