Nine died on weekend

ORILLIA - The OPP says the July 1 long weekend was again one of the busiest on Ontario roads, waterways and trails.

During the three-day period, the OPP investigated nine incidents  involving fatalities. There were seven deaths involving motor vehicle  collisions, one fatal boating incident and one fatal ATV incident. The  total is five fewer than the 14 fatal incidents that occurred in 2010  during a four-day span.

OPP officers also laid 7,560 charges under the Highway Traffic Act - up  significantly from the same period one year ago, but over a shorter  duration.

From July 1 to July 3, OPP officers checked over 40,000 vehicles.  Officers logged 1,091 hours of marine patrol time to ensure safety on  Ontario’s waterways.

During the 2011 Canada Day long weekend, OPP officers laid:

- 102 impaired driving and over 0.08mg charges (an additional 88 persons  had their driver’s licence suspended for having blood alcohol levels in  the warn range);

- 163 marine offence charges; and

- a total of 7,560 charges under the Highway Traffic Act, including 63  racing charges, where drivers had their vehicle impounded for seven days  (that is up over 6,100 charges laid over four days in 2010).