Waterloo Regional Police say they laid 519 charges during Operation Safe Driver, a week-long traffic safety blitz with a focus on speeding drivers.
“We continue to be concerned about the number of charges issued during a one-week period,” Waterloo Regional Police Chief Bryan Larkin said in a statement. “While the campaign is over, our commitment to road safety is not, and we will continue to target speeding and other dangerous driving behaviours that make our roads less safe for everyone.”
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The campaign, which ran from July 14 to 21, was carried out in conjunction with the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance.
In addition to excessive speeding, the blitz was focused on reducing deaths and injuries involving large trucks, buses and cars due to impaired driving, distracted driving, improper seatbelt use and failing to obey intersection controls.
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Almost half of the charges — 215 — involved speeding, although police say officers also charged 10 impaired drivers, 20 distracted drivers using handheld devices and 19 careless drivers.