Ontario police report 5 road fatalities, 5,800 speeding charges over Canada Day weekend

Ontario Provincial Police say it was a deadly Canada Day long weekend on the roads they patrol.

According to police statistics, five people died in collisions. Two of those fatalities were drivers of motorcycles.

READ MORE: Man killed in motorcycle crash on Canada Day near Dorchester

Police also said excessive speed was reported as a factor in one of the fatal crashes.

The total number of deaths on OPP-patrolled roads so far this year now stands at 113.

The No. 1 factor for road fatalities remains speeding, with 31 deaths reported so far in 2017. Police said there were more than 5,800 speeding charges laid against drivers across the province over the long weekend.

Middlesex-London OPP was out in full force, cracking down on speeding and all other forms of aggressive driving.

Officers in the London area handed out 34 speeding charges, three distracted driving charges, two stunt driving charges, along with a handful of other infractions.

Police want to remind drivers that speeding can result in a jail term of up to six months, fines of up to $10,000 and prolonged licence suspension upon conviction.

READ MORE: Speeding No. 1 killer on Ontario roads as deaths rise from 2016 figures: OPP

According to the Ministry of Transportation’s Ontario driver handbook, the risk of a fatality or serious injury is almost five times greater for vehicles crashing at 50 km/h or more above the posted limit on a highway with a posted limit of 100 km/h. The increase in risk is even greater on roads with lower posted limits.

There were no fatal boating or off-road vehicle incidents reported.

— With files from Briana Carnegie, AM640