The OPP is employing new tactics to target distracted truckers. Today marks the start of a new blitz from the police called Operation Safe Trucking, which Central Region Sergeant Peter Leon says focuses on commercial motor vehicle safety in Ontario. Leon says there have been a number of crashes on our highways because of distracted driving, and because of that the OPP is taking this initiative to new heights.
Leon says that means if an officer sees someone who isn’t focused on the road, they can stop the truck and deal with the driver. He says the OPP has its own trucks it will be using, and officers will be riding along with licensed drivers. He says that will give officers a better way to see what truck drivers are doing since they will be at the same height level.
There are no specific numbers for how many crashes have involved trucks drivers so far this year in Haliburton County, but Ontario-wide Leon says the OPP responded to over 6,100 collisions involving transports between January 1st and December 3rd. He says 83 people were killed in 68 of those crashes. In light of those numbers, Leon says the OPP feels it’s necessary to step forward with this initiative to ensure all of our roads are safe.
If you’re out driving and see something dangerous, Leon says call the police.
Leon says last week the police received a driving complaint in the Toronto area, and when officers tracked the truck driver down it turned out he was impaired, with a blood-alcohol level of over three times the legal limit. Leon says that was a great call somebody made, as it could have ended in another tragedy.
All in all, Leon says there’s one thing drivers need to remember.
**With files from Taylor Ablett