The Ontario Provincial Police reported five road fatalities over the Thanksgiving long weekend as officers conducted a four-day traffic blitz.
The deaths were all on OPP patrolled roads across the province, bringing the total number of road fatalities so far this year to 218. It said most of those deaths were avoidable.
Police also laid 6,026 charges during Operation Impact, the annual program that focuses on the most dangerous driving behaviours, aggressive, impaired, and distracted driving, and not wearing seatbelts.
Most of the charges were for speeding. There were 4,595 tickets handed out for that offence and another 109 for stunt driving.
Officers also handed out 269 charges for not wearing seatbelts, 102 for driving impaired, and 94 for distracted driving.
In Essex County, the OPP laid 150 charges for speeding over the four days, along with three for stunt driving, seven for not wearing seatbelts, three for impaired driving, and handed out 41 moving violation tickets.
