OPP nab 12 drivers going the wrong way on 401
OPP say they have charged 12 drivers after they let their impatience get the better of them and decided to drive the wrong way on the 401 near a vehicle crash site.
On January 19, 2020 at approximately 8:30 a.m. officers of the Lennox and Addington County Detachment of the OPP responded to a report of a collision on the 401 westbound just east of Shannonville Road, near Napanee. OPP say a transport truck had braked to avoid a motorist that pulled abruptly in front of the cab of the transport. The back end of the transport slid across the icy highway and came to rest blocking both lanes of the 401, causing a delay in traffic.
Several of the vehicles that were stuck in the queue decided to turn around and drive eastbound in the westbound lanes. The highway was closed down for approximately 30 minutes while a heavy tow truck arrived to get the transport truck mobile again.
OPP officers responded to several complaints of the ongoing traffic hazard and charged 12 drivers with driving the wrong way on a divided highway, contrary to the Highway Traffic Act. The penalty for the charge is 3 demerit points and an $85 fine plus a $25 victim surcharge, for a total of $110.
OPP ask drivers to be patient and follow directions of officers while a traffic investigation is ongoing. Failing to do so actually causes further delay as police are trying to manage those trying to circumvent the actual delay.
Penalty not near stiff enough!
They are putting so many innocent people in danger
Right Linda
It just takes one driver to do it and like lemmings others follow. These actions can be so hazardous. The sad part is that I’ll bet the leader didnt get caught.
should have added another zero to the charges… $110.00 is just a slap on the wrist for these people
should have taken 6 points off their license as well … or better yet impounded their vehicles…!!!!!!!! everyone’s time is valuable… but life itself is not replaceable !!!!! idiots !!!!!
Demerit points are added to your license.
These people?
They got off very lightly. Wow amazed at their ignorance
Fine should be way higher than that, going the wrong way on a highway is so irresponsible and dangerous.
$110 bucks Not Bad…Not Bad at All?
What the Heck is wrong with some people? They have some sense of self importance.
Don’t be so quick to judge the OPP have their own agenda when it comes to handling crash zones and they have no interest in saftey or how much time they waste. They will gladly sit people for hours at a crash even if there is a very easy way to relieve the congestion and get the traffic moving seen it many times.
Ya. Right. Because it’s their goal in life to extend the amount of time they’re freezing their asses off in the middle of a congested highway.
That’s dangerous driving 101!!!!! so they all should get there license suspended just like myself or anybody for that matter.. it’s just like impairment but under dangerous driving instead same punishment almost the only difference is when you apply for reinstatement you don’t need a blow box installed !!
Definitely loose their license and a $5000.00 fine. SERIOUSLY! Who does this? IDIOTS
And the penalty for eating an apple or taking a sip from a drink (while your eyes are still on the road) while driving is waaaay more!
Doesn’t make sense!!
Obviously getting to where they had to go was more important than jeopardizing other users of the road .
Penalty to lenient and not a deterrent
Needs charging with (1) dangerous driving
(2) careless driving
(3)driving without due care and attention
(4)being a total toerag
Gio back to school.
Totally agree make it $500.00 and the demerit points.
Yes. Because the last time I was behind an accident it was only 30min….. oh wait! It was more than 4 hours! Police don’t seem to care then either.
Huh. $110. Cheaper than the guy behind who had to pay for a tow after he ran out of gas! He was told “you have to get this van off the highway otherwise you’ll be charged”
Sheesh.
Ok, but he didn’t die or kill anyone else or break the law in the process! Driving the wrong way on a highway putting other people at risk to save a few bucks is irresponsible and just plain stupid!
Better they turn around then go in reverse! Last accident I was behind I was there 8 hours…if I could have turned around to the last exit, I would have! Sorry, hand me my ticket and move on
I would have done it. I’m sure it wasn’t dangerous and there was no danger to the public.
My guess is none of you would risk jaywalking.
Always has to be a joker in the crowd! Had there been an accident causing death and it was a meme we of your family , I’m sure you would state otherwise!!
Should read… member of your family
Police are supposed to be public servants. My question is why were the cops not helping the driving public navigate around the obstruction. These drivers have to deliver, to be competitive, to earn, to pay taxes, to make the country work. Fining people is unproductive. helping drivers reroute by keeping them safe. Not “Oh Boy! We got 12.
I happen to be there and witnessed 2 vehicles use the soft shoulder and drive against the west bound traffic and I also stopped one of them to inform them how dangerous this act was, they driver and passenger smiled, shrugged their shoulders and kept driving… afterwards I called the cops and reported them. As per the “obstruction”, it was being pulled out of the ditch and required the entire west bound lanes …. so I am not to sure how you want the cops to navigate traffic around that! Btw… we were stopped all of 30 mins before traffic was flowing and the nearest exit was 5 km back.
I happen to be on the 401 at the time this occurred, I did stop and approach one of the vehicles to inform them what they were doing was dangerous and prohibited …the young female driver basically laughed and kept driving. There was another vehicle directly behind me who turned around and followed suit, I looked at the older female driver with disbelief and raised my hands. In less than 5 mins after these ladies ventured the wrong way the tractor trailer was safely towed out of the ditch and traffic started moving. For those that say they would have done the same, there were EMERGENCY VEHICLES using both shoulders to get to the scene of the accident … THIS WHY YOU DONT BLOCK THEM!
I wonder if they got the driver who cut the transport off too! Hopefully there was a dash cam that caught a license plate
Said for years now that the mto should be retesting everyone and taking licenses back for those who dont pass…not just have a license for years. People get into bad habits and need retesting let alone people like this that put others at risk…should be way higher penalty!!!!!
FYI… Commercial drivers must rewrite their license every 5 years. Can you say the same for non commmercial drivers? They can get their license at the age of 16 & never rewrite until they are 80 years old. The laws change numerous times in that span of years. How many bad habits & changes in the law has happened since you earned your license?
If only people could be charged $1000.00 fine for stupidity. There is an unlimited supply of these people EVERYDAY in the GTA