-OTTAWA – The Ottawa Police Service (OPS) Traffic Services led two key initiatives this spring and summer to ensure the safety of all road users.

Operation Overwatch was launched in late April targeting speedsters, stunt drivers and street racers across the city and resulted in more than 5,000 speeding tickets issued and an average of 10 Stunt drivers stopped each week.

With Overwatch, frontline officers watched for lead-footed drivers putting themselves and other road users at serious risk. Those caught driving or riding 50km/h or more over the posted limit faced a significant fine (starting at $2,000), vehicle seizure and a court date as part of the province’s legislated consequences for those disregarding speed limits and community safety.

Operation NoiseMaker was launched in mid-June with the assistance from local OPP and the city’s Bylaw Services officers. It resulted in 2,300 tickets including approximately 1,400 for speeding.

The NoiseMaker campaign was in response to enforcement requests specific to street racing and excessive/unnecessary noise generated primarily from aftermarket modifications to vehicle muffler and exhaust systems.

While street racing and stunt driving was enforced on a daily basis, Operation #NoiseMaker dedicated resources, especially on weekends, to known problematic locations in order to address those involved in generating unnecessary noise.

“The two Ottawa Police Traffic operations would not have achieved the same results without the ongoing participation and support of key partners, including city bylaw, the OPP, Gatineau Police Service and Sûreté du Québec, as well as our OPS frontline directorate officers’, OPS Traffic Service Staff Sergeant Marc-André Sheehy said.

While these two initiatives have now concluded, Ottawa police traffic enforcement efforts continue.

Throughout Thanksgiving weekend, officers will be on the lookout for impaired driving on roads and trails, speeding, stunt and aggressive driving, as well as safety on sidewalks.

“Don’t become a statistic, make safe driving a part of your daily routine,” added Ottawa Police Traffic Case Manager Craig Roberts.