Following a wild weather weekend, the OPP wants to remind everyone that driving on closed roads is extremely risky.
OPP in Grey and Bruce counties laid nine charges for the offence on Highway 21 alone on the weekend, and West Region OPP Regional Media Relations Coordinator Derek Rogers says driving on closed roads is wildly dangerous.
"It's dangerous for the person who is entering the closed road because that area of the road may not be winter maintained, or there may be obstacles on the road ahead, such as vehicles that were in a collision, or was in distress somehow. So that is an obstacle in the road that presents a safety danger, as well," Rogers said.
Additionally, on top of putting yourself at risk driving on a closed road, Rogers notes that you could be putting others' lives in danger.
"Further, there could be first responders in the road doing their jobs helping people out, and their lives are certainly threatened by somebody driving on a closed road. So there are a variety of different reasons why it's dangerous. It's closed for a reason. When it says closed it means closed, not 'Well, I just live down the road, maybe I could just sneak on here without anyone knowing.' It's closed for a reason and we wish people would respect those road closed signs," added Rogers. "You have paramedics that might be on scene, emergency medical services that are there trying to help people out if they're injured. You have the firefighters that respond along with us and with the paramedics, and you also have the tow crews there, as well, trying to get these vehicles out of the ditch. They're very focused on what they're doing and they might not see someone approaching from behind or in another direction, and their lives are in danger, too."
Rogers notes that driving on a closed road carries serious punishments under the Highway Traffic Act.
"It's a $110 fine and three demerit points in addition to that. But when you think about it, I don't think anyone would want to put anyone else's life in danger, or their own life in danger, or if they have family members with them, those lives, too. So, that really, for us, from a public safety perspective, is the real deterrent," Rogers stated. "Worst case, what can happen? We know the worst case can happen, where somebody collides with a first responder or a disabled vehicle in the road. We don't want anyone to get hurt, and that's really what this is about. Worst case, somebody could be killed. So we want people to have that in the back of their minds, 'What could go wrong here?' The fine itself is a deterrent along with the demerit points, but really think about, beyond that, what the worst case scenario could be and it's not very pleasant."
With winter and winter driving now here for the foreseeable future, Rogers says the OPP want everyone to exercise caution on any roadway.
"Give yourself a little extra time to get where you're going today. Plan ahead, make plans, we want everyone to get where they're going safely. There's no reason why a little winter weather should throw anyone into a literal tailspin. We want people to be safe, so ease off on the throttle, slow down, and give yourself a little extra time. Also, if you don't have to go anywhere and it's bad out, maybe wait a bit," said Rogers. "Let the road crews clear out the bad conditions and if you don't need to leave, just stay home and wait it out."