The complete stats are in for Northumberland OPP-related enforcement efforts during the Canada Day long-weekend – and some alarming trends continue to highlight concerns on local roads.
Northumberland OPP Const. James Clarke said a total of 65 tickets were dished out, with nearly half of these charges relating to speeding.
Northumberland OPP’s enforcement blitz ran June 26 to July 1, 2025.
“We had three passengers ticketed for not wearing their seatbelts,” added Clarke. “We even had two people fail to move for emergency vehicles.”
In recent months, this has been of particular concern, after several incidents of emergency services such as fire trucks even being hit on Hwy. 401 when vehicles reportedly didn’t move over on the road for these crews.
Meanwhile, Clarke said another two individuals were charged with stunt driving, and two for driving while suspended, along with one individual arrested for impaired driving and possession of unmarked cigarettes.
“It was a busy weekend – it was a busy weekend across the province – but we are still campaigning on the ‘big four’ (and) that (involves) seatbelts, speeding, distracted driving, and impaired driving,” said Clarke.
In other words, enforcement efforts are ongoing with the goal of preventing tragedies and ensuring all loved ones make it home safely.
The “big four” is often a focus for officers as factors such as seatbelts, speeding, aggressive/distracted driving and impaired driving are all major contributing factors in serious and deadly crashes.
To the east, Quinte West OPP and the Belleville Police Service have also teamed up for the month of July for “big four” focused blitzes, zeroing in on the Old Hwy. 2 area from RCAF Road to Tyendinaga during weekday commuter hours. At this time, police said data suggests speeds are high and people’s attention is distracted.
Simply put, expect to see a continued police presence.
Safety gear such as seatbelts are critical when it comes to crashes, stressed Clarke, who also said in 2024, there were 382 people killed on all OPP-patrolled roads, and among them, 60 weren’t wearing seatbelts, which either contributed to, or was the primary cause of their death.
Meanwhile, according to provincial data, over the last three full years – 2022-24 – 188 lives were lost on OPP-patrolled roads and either attributed to, or directly the result of not wearing a seatbelt.
(Written by: Sarah Hyatt)
