Toronto police issued more than 7,000 tickets to drivers in a single week

Traffic drives past the Rogers corporate head office and headquarters along Mount Pleasant Road in Toronto on Monday, Oct. 25, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Evan Buhler

More than 7,000 tickets were issued to Toronto drivers last week as part of traffic campaign meant to slow vehicles down.

The zero-tolerance campaign, entitled "speed kills," ran from April 11 to April 17.

According to police, a total of 7,373 tickets were issued during that time, including 4,142 tickets specifically for speeding.

Another 1,152 people were caught driving aggressively while another 213 were issued tickets for distracted driving.

An additional 1,866 tickets were issued for other unspecified highway traffic act offences.

"Our hope is that we continue to change driver behaviour through education, engagement, and enforcement. By taking traffic safety seriously, it keeps our communities safer," police said in a news release issued Tuesday. "Our message to road users is to slow down and obey the rules of the road."

Within that same one week time frame, officers also laid 30 stunt driving-related charges, resulting in a 30-day licence suspension and a 14-day vehicle impoundment.

Those convicted of stunt driving will receive six demerit points and could face large fines and possibly a jail sentence.

According to police, 60 people were killed on Toronto's roads in 2021. Police say that 78 per cent of all fatal collisions occurred on roads with speed limits above 50 kilometres an hour.

So far this year, 14 people have died on Toronto roads, including 10 pedestrians.