Ahead of the Canada Day long weekend, provincial police are reminding drivers and boaters of the potentially fatal consequences of not wearing lifesaving equipment.
According to the Ontario Provincial Police, in the last ten years between 2012 and 2021, 238 people died in boating incidents in provincial waters. Of those, 86 per cent were not wearing a life jacket at the time.
“With more than 40 per cent of the incidents involving a capsized vessel or the victims falling overboard, a significant number of the deceased boaters/paddlers who were not wearing a lifejacket could have been found afloat and alive had they not settled for just having this safety device on board,” the OPP said in a news release.
During the same time period, 186 people were killed in off-road vehicle incidents. Almost half of those who died were not wearing a helmet.
“The critical protection a helmet provides in a crash, roll-over, and when one is ejected from their vehicle could have prevented the loss of life or serious, life-altering head injuries sustained in some of these incidents,” the OPP said.
As well, of the 3,174 people who have died on OPP-patrolled roads in the past 10 years, not wearing a seatbelt was a contributing factor in 542 of the fatalities.
“Collisions that involve unbuckled vehicle occupants almost always result in being ejected from the vehicle and death,” the OPP said. “Had seatbelts been worn in these crashes, the number of deaths could have been far lower.”
The OPP said officers will be ramping up enforcement and education before and during the Canada Day weekend to ensure Ontarians are travelling safely on and off the road.
“As summer has arrived, the OPP is counting on everyone to comply with all traffic, off-road and marine laws. Doing so will go a long way toward reducing the number of deaths and serious injuries on roads, waterways and trails,” the OPP said.”