NEWS RELEASE
ONTARIO PROVINCIAL POLICE
**************************
Traffic issues over the weekend on North Simcoe roadways kept officers from the Southern Georgian Bay OPP Detachment busy responding to those events. Officers issued 43 traffic violations under the Highway Traffic Act for a variety of offences as motorists drove through the detachment area. Of note were the speeders travelling through the Highway 93 corridor while numerous construction crews worked to repair Hydro lines alongside the highway with a traffic light control malfunction in Waverley, which tasked an officer to manually direct traffic within the intersection.
A 66-year-old Penetanguishene man was charged with careless driving after he sped through the County Road 93 roundabout and his Toyota rolled into the ditch at approximately 1 p.m. on Feb. 12. Further investigation led officers to impound the involved vehicle and issue a three-day suspension ADLS as part of a drinking and driving investigation as per the ADLS guidelines.
Twelve vehicle crashes were investigated by patrol officers who also conducted 16 reduce impaired driving everywhere (RIDE) check stops, checking drivers for signs of impairment and investigating 19 traffic complaints.
Impaired driving incident
At 2:55 a.m. on Feb. 12, officers were dispatched to a vehicle in the ditch off Highway 400 in the area of Crooked Bay Road in Georgian Bay Township. The lone driver was located, and upon exiting the vehicle, the driver was arrested for impaired driving and transported to Orillia Detachment for further investigation by an OPP drug recognition expert.
As a result of this investigation, a 34-year-old from Shanty Bay has been charged with
- Operation while impaired - blood drug concentration
- Operation while impaired - drugs
The accused was released on a recognizance to appear before the Ontario Court of Justice on March 2. The driver also faces a 90-day driver's licence suspension and a seven-day vehicle impoundment as per the Ministry of Transportation ADLS suspension guidelines.
Educating the public about safe driving practices with our community safety partners is a priority. If you see a possible impaired driver on our roadways, waterways or trails, please "Make the Call" and dial 911 as impaired driving never ends well; please make a plan to get home safely.
**************************
