Police hitting the roads for annual road safety initiative Operation Impact

Police officers from coast-to-coast are out in full force this weekend for an annual road safety initiative.

Operation Impact started as a one-day event aimed at seat belt enforcement, but has grown over the years into a four-day operation that takes place over the Thanksgiving weekend.

“We’re targeting distracted driving, aggressive driving, impaired driving — basically anything that could cause an accident,” said RCMP Cpl. Lynden Morrison.

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The goal of Operation Impact is to reduce injuries and save lives through education and enforcement. Police say they tend to see more people get behind the wheel impaired during holidays.

“On Thanksgiving weekend, people get together, have a couple drinks, and some people have a tendency to drive,” Morrison said.

“What I can say is, if you’re going to drink, don’t drive — ever.”

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Although there has been a lot of work done around educating the public about using their phones while behind the wheel, police say some motorists still aren’t getting the message.

“There’s a lot of people using their cellphones, and we’ve all seen it — people texting while they’re driving, and this creates dangerous situations on our roads.”

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Police say they want to see drivers practice safe habits all the time and avoid distracted or aggressive driving behaviour which could cause an accident.

“We want people to practice this throughout the year, not just this weekend,” Morrison said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "We want people to practice this throughout the year, not just this weekend," Morrison said.

“This is kind of just a reminder for people. So when you get in your car, buckle up. Use child restraints, even if it’s just for a short distance. Don’t drink and drive ever.”