TORONTO – The long Labour Day weekend numbers are out and the Ontario Provincial Police reported three traffic related deaths over the extended holiday.
Authorities say a 16 year-old male died after being struck by a motor vehicle while he was skateboarding, a 41 year-old woman died in a motor vehicle collision after being ejected from the vehicle and another man died when he lost control of his off-road vehicle (ORV).
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Despite the three deaths, police say there’s been a “steady decline” in Labour Day weekend traffic deaths.
“When we look at the last five years, I am encouraged to see a 23 per cent decline in Labour Day weekend fatal road crashes in OPP jurisdiction and a 100 per cent drop in marine fatalities on OPP policed waterways,” said Chief Superintendent Don Bell, OPP Highway Safety Division in a media release.
However, the bad news is that ORV deaths are up 25 per cent over the same five-year period.
Distracted drivers continue to pose a problem on roads with officers laying 397 charges compared to 107 for impaired driving.
A total of 6,078 charges were laid for speeding and 64 for street racing. There were also 535 seat belt charges.
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