Ahead of the Victoria Day long weekend, provincial police has released some startling statistics about boating fatalities.
Of the 23 boaters who died in OPP patrolled water in 2013, 20 of them were not wearing personal floatation devices.
It’s a trend they’ve seen over the past five years with eight of 10 victims being found with a PFD. OPP are also warning about dangerous water temperatures.
With the late start to spring, area waterways remain ice cold, and could cause hypothermia.
OPP officers will be patrolling the waters throughout the weekend.
Off-road vehicles and motorcycles
Earlier this week provincial police released statistics pertaining to off-road vehicles and motorcycles.
In it, ORV deaths alone have reached a four-year high. In 2013, 20 people died in ORV incidents – 13 of those were attributed to a lack of helmet use and nine to alcohol consumption. Compare that to 2012, where OPP responded to 12 incidents.
It’s a similar situation for motorcycle deaths. Last year, OPP attended to 28 motorcycle fatalities. That’s up from 26 in 2012 and 21 in 2011. Police say the factors behind these collisions mirror those in off-road incidents.
However, in some cases these collisions were a result of another driver.
