Provincial police will be out in full force this holiday long weekend.
Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) said the Civic Holiday is one of the busiest traffic long weekends of the year.
Sgt. Ed Sanchuk said the public can expect to see an increased police presence.
"Whether you're on land, water, or you're enjoying the trails, we want to make sure that everyone has an enjoyable long holiday weekend, but more importantly, not having a police officer knocking on your door saying that something bad has happened to your loved one," Sanchuk said.
Sanchuk said officers will be focusing their attention on those who fail to put safety as a priority.
"So if you are operating a vehicle, make sure you're wearing your seatbelt, make sure you're not aggressively driving, you're not impaired by alcohol or drugs, and you're putting all distractions away. Put the cellphone away, it's not worth risking your life, or the lives of innocent motorists and pedestrians on our roadways," Sanchuk said.
He said those heading out on the water are reminded to wear a life jacket.
Sanchuk said police will also be looking for drivers who fail to move over for Ontario's move over law, which requires all drivers to slow down when approaching emergency vehicles with their emergency lights activated.
"Last year, in 2024, we laid almost 2,000 charges for people failing to move over for emergency vehicles. That's police vehicles, ambulances, fire trucks, and tow trucks," Sanchuk said.
"Do us a favour, we want to get home safely to our families just like you do, please, when you see those emergency vehicles, please move over, slow down, get to where you're going safely, but more importantly get home safely to your family."
Non-compliance with Ontario's move over law carries a $490 to $2,000 fine, plus three demerit points upon conviction.
Subsequent offences carry a fine between $1,000 and $4,000, possible jail time of up to six months and suspension of your driver's licence for up to two years.
So far this year, 182 people have lost their lives in road collisions, eight boaters/paddlers have been killed in marine incidents and eight people have died in off-road vehicle incidents, according to stats released by the OPP.