Huron OPP report alcohol charge; and safety week results

OVER-80 CHARGE LAID
 
(ASHFIELD-COLBORNE-WAWANOSH, ON) - A 48-year-old driver of Ashfield-Colborne-Wawanosh is facing an Over-80 charge, following a traffic stop that took place Friday, May 19.
 
At about 12:25 p.m., a Huron County OPP officer stopped a Dodge Caravan that was travelling southbound on Bluewater Veterans Highway near Boyce Road. 
 
Upon speaking with the male driver, the investigating officer detected the odour of alcohol on his breath. As a result, a roadside screening test was completed and the driver registered a Fail. He was placed under arrest and was transported to the Huron OPP detachment for breath tests. He later provided two samples of his breath to a qualified intoxilizer technician; both of his samples registered over the legal limit.   
 
As a result, the driver, Attila SIMON, 48, of Ashfield-Colborne-Wawanosh has been charged with Drive Motor Vehicle With Over-80 Milligrams of Alcohol. He has been released from custody with a court date scheduled for June 19, at the Ontario Court of Justice - Goderich; he also received an automatic 90-day driver's licence suspension.

*THIS CHARGE HAS YET TO BE PROVEN IN COURT*
 

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CANADA ROAD SAFETY WEEK RESULTS
Speeding and impaired driving remain major issues
 
(HURON COUNTY, ON) - Huron County OPP officers had a busy long weekend, responding to numerous calls for service along with their proactive efforts supporting the 2017 Canada Road Safety Week traffic safety campaign.
 
Safety week ran from May 16 until midnight May 22. This campaign's focus was on the "Big Four" causal factors of motor vehicle collisions, those being - impaired driving, lack of occupant restraint use, aggressive driving and distracted driving. 
 
As evidenced by the number of charges laid over the weekend, there are still too many drivers choosing to drive while impaired, and too many failing to watch their speed. The message from Huron OPP at the start of the campaign was don't become a statistic. Unfortunately for some drivers, their risky driving behavior resulted in charges, and in one case an All-Terrain Vehicle (ATV) driver remains in hospital with serious injuries.
 
Huron OPP officers charged two drivers with impaired driving; one with refusal to provide a roadside sample; 156 with Speeding, nine with seatbelt offences; and five with distracted driving.
 
During the course of the campaign, Huron OPP officers investigated 10 motor vehicle collisions. Of those, 50 per cent were animal-related, four were minor property damage collisions, and one involved a serious ATV crash. 
 
The ATV crash occurred Saturday, May 20, around 4:30 p.m. A 70-year-old man was operating an ATV in a gravel pit located on Roman Road in Huron East when he attempted to descend a steep hill. He lost control of his machine and was thrown off of the ATV. He sustained serious injuries from the accident. Police believe alcohol was a factor in the crash.
 
Although Canada Road Safety Week has ended, Huron OPP officers will continue to conduct proactive traffic enforcement on local roadways in an effort to keep the roads as safe as possible.