Area police put 20 officers on city roads to catch the 'crazies' behind the wheel.

By Staff

August 28th, 2018

BURLINGTON, ON

It must have looked like a posse – police officers on the hunt for the bad guys. The managed to round up quite a few “cowboys” who won’t be on the roads for a few days at least.

On Friday August 24th, Halton Police were joined by a total of twenty officers made up from Peel Police, York Police, Toronto Police, the OPP and the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks. The officers were divided equally amongst the three Halton police districts to patrol in partnership with Halton officers to combat street racing and aggressive driving.

This was the fourth such collaborative effort to take place in the GTA this year by officers who work on Project E.R.A.S.E. (which aims to Eradicate Racing Activity on Streets Everywhere). Previously, Halton Officers have supported York, Peel and the OPP by assisting them in similar projects in their jurisdictions.
Officers were supported by staff from the respective District Response Units whose job it is to target aggressive driving within the City of Burlington, Town of Oakville, Town of Milton and the Town of Halton Hills.

Throughout the evening’s patrol in excess of 160 driving charges were laid, which included:

• 2 vehicles seized for stunt driving
• 2 drivers suspended for 7 days
• 1 driver arrested and charged for impaired operation
• 82 Speeding charges
• 8 distraction charges (holding/using a cell phone)
• 53 equipment charges
• 1 seatbelt charge
• 17 warnings issued

As with impaired drivers, it is important that our communities feel confident to call the police and report illegal racing and dangerous operation of motor vehicles when they observe it. Each year a number of tragic incidents occur in the GTA where people lose their lives while engaging in illegal racing activities on public streets. Our message will remain, “If you want to race, take it to the track.”

The Halton Regional Police Service remains committed to road safety through prevention, education and enforcement initiatives.

Members of the public are reminded that driving under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol is a crime in progress and to call 9-1-1 immediately to report a suspected impaired driver.

The Service’s Twitter and Facebook accounts should not be used for this purpose as they are not monitored 24 hours a day, seven days a week.