Brant OPP laid 13 charges during a 90-minute traffic enforcement mini-blitz on Highway 403 Monday night.
The mini-blitz was focused on enforcement of the province’s ‘move over’ laws, which require motorists to slow down and proceed with caution when passing an emergency vehicle parked on the side of a highway with its lights activated.
If the highway has more than one lane, drivers are required to move over and leave one lane between their vehicle and the parked emergency vehicle if it can be done safely.
The move over law aims to protect police and other emergency services and tow truck personnel parked or stopped on the roadside to carry out their duties.
During Monday’s enforcement initiative, conducted between 9:30 pm and 11 pm, police stopped and charged drivers with: driving while under suspension; operating a vehicle without insurance; failing to move into another lane for an emergency vehicle or tow truck; failing to slow down and proceed with caution for an emergency vehicle or tow truck; driving without a license; drive a motor vehicle without a current validated permit and failing to produce a permit.
Provincial police conduct targeted education and enforcement initiatives to increase awareness of the law.
Motorists charged under the move over law in the face of a fine of between $400 to $2,000, three demerit points and a driver’s license suspension of up to two years for a first offence.
It is also illegal to follow within 150 meters of a fire vehicle or ambulance responding to a call.
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