Ontario Provincial Police say officers in the West Region laid 168 charges under the province’s seatbelt law during the Easter long weekend traffic campaign.
The campaign, which ran from April 3 to April 6, involved officers from 13 detachments across the region and focused on education and enforcement. Police say the total marks a decrease from 2025, when 338 seatbelt-related charges were laid during the same initiative.
The OPP say failure to wear a seatbelt remains a significant factor in fatal collisions. Last year, 41 people died in crashes on OPP-patrolled roads where seatbelt use was identified as a cause or contributing factor, including 14 deaths in the West Region.
So far in 2026, police say four traffic deaths in the West Region have been linked to not wearing a seatbelt.
Officers say seatbelt use, along with aggressive driving, impaired driving, distracted driving and driver fatigue, continues to be among the leading contributors to serious collisions on Ontario roads.
Police say enforcement efforts will continue in an effort to reduce preventable deaths and injuries across Southwestern Ontario.
