The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) is concerned by the number of drivers who ignore Ontario's Move Over Law and place police, other emergency personnel and tow truck drivers at risk on the roadside, and they'll be focussing on enforcement this long civic weekend.

The OPP laid 1,891 charges last year against drivers who failed to slow down and move over, marking one of the highest number of annual OPP charges for this offence since the law was enacted in 2003.

The findings have the OPP conducting targeted enforcement of Ontario's Move Over Law during the Civic Day Long Weekend, as they ramp up their efforts to get drivers to comply with this important law.

"There have been close to 700 incidents in the past five years in which an OPP vehicle was struck by another vehicle while parked or stopped on the roadside. When our officers and emergency partners are assisting people on the roadside, please slow down and move over if safe to do so, and help them get home safely to their families," said Thomas Carrique, Commissioner of the Ontario Provincial Police. Since 1989, five OPP officers have been killed after being struck by an approaching vehicle while carrying out their duties on the side of the road.

The law requires drivers to slow down and move over if safe to do so for all tow trucks, police, ambulance and fire emergency vehicles with their emergency lights activated.

 source: media release, OPP