Aggressive driving-related deaths up 80 per cent on provincial roads: OPP

Ontario Provincial Police say drivers are taking too many risks as aggressive driving-related deaths on provincially patrolled roads have skyrocketed this year.

“We’re up about 80 per cent compared to the same period last year,” Sgt. Kerry Schmidt said in a Periscope video on Twitter.

Police say there have been 27 aggressive-driving related deaths in 2017 compared to just 15 for the same period last year.

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READ MORE: OPP speed enforcement blitz on Hwy. 401, 402 results in 68 charged with driving 30 km/h over limit

“Aggressive driving is all forms, speeding, tailgaiting, following too close, excessive lane changes,” Schmidt said.

With the summer weather about to heat up, police are reminding drivers, motorcyclist, cyclists and pedestrians to obey the rules of the road.

READ MORE: Nearly 100 charged with distracted driving north of Toronto within a week

“It’s almost like stunt driving,” Schmidt said on the behaviour of aggressive drivers. “Most people think about that as being people who are getting stopped for going 50 km/h or more over the speed limit. But there’s so much more to stunt driving than that.”

During Canada Road Safety Week from May 16 to 22, the OPP laid close to 9,400 speeding charges, 165 of which were street racing charges laid against motorists who were driving 50 km/h over the posted speed limit.