OPP and MTO focusing on commercial drivers during Operation Safe Driver Week
Courtesy Barrie360.com
By Julius Hern, July 13, 2025
Operation Safe Driver Week is coming up from July 13 to 19. It’s an initiative between the OPP, Ontario Ministry of Transportation (MTO), and the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA).
However, this time around, commercial vehicle safety will be the week’s biggest focus.
OPP and its partners will be targeting enforcement among commercial and non-commercial drivers. In particular, they’ll observing how the two classes share the road with each other.
“When commercial and non-commercial drivers share space on our roadways, there is zero room for aggressive, careless, inattentive and impaired driving,” said OPP Commissioner Thomas Carrique in a news release. “Last year, OPP officers responded to 8,817 collisions that involved large transport trucks. Tragically, 73 of the crashes were fatal, 905 of them resulted in injuries and the vast majority of them were preventable.
“All it takes to eliminate these senseless crashes and prevent injuries is a commitment from every motorist to drive responsibly and obey the law.”
Officers will be watching for infractions and aggressive or careless actions and behaviours from drivers this week that include:
- improper lane changes
- following too closely
- speeding
“Operation Safe Driver Week is an important reminder that we all have a part to play in keeping Ontario’s roads and highways safe,” Ontario Solicitor General Michael Kerzner said in a news release. “When we stay alert, follow the rules of the road, and look out for one another, we make sure everyone gets to their destination safely.”
Furthermore, this initiative is also to remind commercial drivers that around-the-clock compliance with safety requirements is critical to roads safety. Those requirements include:
- regular inspections
- hours of service
- secured cargo
- movement of dangerous goods
“For 25 years, Ontario’s roads have ranked among the safest in North America, thanks in large part to our transportation enforcement officers who are dedicated to improving safety by enforcing the rules of the road for commercial drivers and vehicles, Ontario Minister of Transportation Prabmeet Sarkaria said in a news release. “Our government is proud to participate in Operation Safe Driver Week to ensure everyone shares our roadways safely.”