The Ontario Provincial Police laid close to 213,000 speeding charges and more than 4,800 street racing charges against Ontario drivers last year (2017).

As the OPP gears up for its Canada Day Long Weekend Aggressive Driving Campaign, officers will be watching for drivers who speed and engage in other forms of aggression.

With 75 people dying in speed-related collisions on OPP-patrolled roads in 2017 (a five-year high), the OPP is revealing who their biggest speeding offenders were last year.

Among last year's speeding charges, close to 148,000 were issued to male drivers, with female drivers drawing over 65,000 charges. Below are the top three male/female age group offenders:

Speeding charges (males by age group):

25 to 34 years: 37,498 charges

35 to 44 years: 27,959 charges

45 to 54 years: 26,212 charges

Speeding charges (females by age group):

25 to 34 years: 17,433 charges

35 to 44 years: 12,817 charges

45 to 54 years: 11,541 charges

The youngest male age group (16 to 20 years) accounted for 5,939 charges while their female counterparts drew 2,699 charges.

Among the street racing charges (for driving more than 50 kilometres per hour over the posted speed limit), males drew more than 4,100 charges, while close to 760 were issued to females. Below are the top three male/female age group offenders:

Street racing charges (males by age group):

25 to 34 years: 1,382 charges

21 to 24 years: 968 charges

35 to 44 years: 622 charges

Street racing charges (females by age group):

25 to 34 years: 260 charges

21 to 24 years: 155 charges

35 to 44 years: 130 charges

Among the youngest age group, 447 street racing charges went to 16 to 20 year-old males, compared to 91 charges laid against females in the same age group.

"When you speed, follow too closely, fail to yield right-of-way or engage in road rage behaviour, you are not just breaking the law. You are contributing to preventable road deaths on OPP-patrolled roads every year that are linked to these aggressive driving behaviors. We are urging all drivers to be mindful of this over the Canada Day Long Weekend and throughout the year." - OPP Deputy Commissioner Brad Blair, Provincial Commander of Traffic Safety and Operational Support.

Over and above ground patrols, the OPP will be deploying its fixed-winged aircraft and helicopter resources over the weekend, giving them a bird's eye view of OPP-patrolled roads, waterways and trails. The OPP is counting on Ontarians and tourists to do their part to help make it a zero fatality/injury Canada Day Long Weekend.

source: media release, OPP