OPP Festive RIDE Campaign
Ontario Provincial Police say officers across the West Region laid hundreds of charges during this year’s Easter long weekend traffic campaign, with a continued focus on seatbelt enforcement.
The campaign, which ran from April 3 to April 6, resulted in 168 seatbelt-related charges being issued. While that number is down from a five-year high recorded in 2025, police say compliance remains a concern across the region.
According to the OPP, failing to wear a seatbelt was a contributing factor in 41 deaths on OPP-patrolled roads in 2025, including 14 in the West Region alone. So far in 2026, four traffic deaths in the region have already been linked to not wearing a seatbelt.
Police say seatbelt use, along with addressing impaired driving, distracted driving, aggressive behaviour, and fatigue, remains critical to improving road safety. Officers say enforcement efforts will continue in an effort to reduce preventable injuries and fatalities across Southwestern Ontario.
