OPP share road safety tips for Operation Safe Driver Campaign 

Written By Sam Odrowski

The Dufferin Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), is taking part in the Operation Safe Driver Campaign.

The campaign is aimed at reducing the number of crashes, deaths, and injuries involving large trucks, buses, and passenger vehicles due to unsafe driving behaviour. It runs from July 7 to 14 

Dufferin County roadways continue to see a considerable presence of commercial motor vehicles (CMVs). Due to the size, weight and loads, these vehicles have increased potential of causing serious collisions due to vehicle mechanical fitness, driver fatigue, improper licencing and/or driver behaviours.

The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance's (CVSA) created the campaign to help improve the behavior of all drivers operating in an unsafe manner, either in or around commercial motor vehicles, through educational and traffic enforcement strategies to address individuals exhibiting high-risk driving behaviours.

Officers will be conducting pop-up inspections all week to ensure identified CMVs meet the required safety standards to operate on our roadways. 

Drivers will be checked for compliance with proper licencing, registration, documentation, pre-check inspections and hours of work. 

Officers will also focus on vehicles traveling around these large trucks as well as high-risk driving behaviour.

“It is our mission to promote the safety of all road users throughout the Dufferin Detachment area and reduce the frequency and severity of incidents involving CMVs, including a reduction in fatalities, injuries and property damage resulting from these incidents,” said a press release from the OPP.

“Road safety is a shared responsibility, and we all have a role to play. Commercial vehicles are heavy and require greater stopping distance. Motorists are reminded to leave plenty of space for these large vehicles to slow and stop safely.”

Five tips for staying safe on the road: no phones while driving, leave room and move over, stop the tailgating, don't forget the signal and get organized with all of your paperwork (license, registration, logbook).

“We would like to thank the majority of safe drivers who are found to be in compliance. We depend on our professional drivers to help contribute to safe roads,” said the OPP's press release.

“Ontario takes road safety very seriously and uses a variety of methods to make sure all road users can get themselves and their goods to their intended destination safely.”