Police in Durham Region say they handed out nearly 500 tickets over Thanksgiving weekend as part of an annual traffic blitz -- a 37.9 per cent increase over last year.
The blitz was dubbed "Operation Impact," a traffic enforcement and education initiative aimed at cracking down on impaired, distracted and aggressive drivers “in an effort to reduce injuries on the roads,” the police service said in a statement.
Police divisions across Canada participate in the campaign.
Durham police handed out a total of 498 tickets over Thanksgiving weekend, up from last year’s 361 tickets. Speeding fines accounted for 223 of those tickets -- a 41 per cent increase from last year’s 158 speeding tickets.
Impaired driving arrests in the region, however, were down 50 per cent, from 14 last year to seven this year.
Over the past five years, there have been 131 deaths caused by traffic accidents on roadways policed by the Durham Regional Police.
The police division said it will continue “targeting impaired drivers, those who drive aggressively or while distracted, as well as those who are not compliant with seat belt and child restraint laws.”
