OTTAWA -- As we head towards the first long weekend of summer, Ontario Provincial Police are urging you to “think differently” while on the roads.

There has been a 22 per cent increase in fatalities on OPP patrolled roads in Ottawa and eastern Ontario so far this year.

Canada Road Safety Week kicked off on Tuesday, with the OPP joining police services across Canada in ensuring drivers and other road users are helping to keep roads safe. The theme for this year’s Canada Road Safety Week is “Shifting Gears.”

“We’re encouraging road users to look and think differently about the risky and problematic driving behaviours that they have,” said Bill Dickson, OPP East Region media spokesperson.

“They can change, and make the roads safer for everyone.”

Eleven people have been killed in collisions across the OPP East Region so far this year, up from nine over the same period in 2019.

Four motorists have died in crashes linked to inattentive driving so far this year, up from one death last year. Dickson says it’s important to pay 100 per cent attention, because it doesn’t take long for the situation to change on the roads.

“It takes one second for something to happen. Be it a child or someone running out in front of you, another car pulling out in front of you, someone stopping to avoid a deer or a dog, anything can happen,” Dickson said.

“And if you’re not paying attention, the speed you’re going might mean by the time you do see what’s happening in front of you it’s too late to make a change.”

Four motorists have been killed in collisions linked to speeding in eastern Ontario so far this year, while three pedestrians have died in collisions.

Ontario Provincial Police say officers will be out on roads across eastern Ontario during Canada Road Safety Week and the Victoria Day long week.

“Our message is if you go out, drive like your life depends on it because in reality it does,” Dickson tells CTV News Ottawa.

“Not only your life, the life of anyone else in your car and the life of anyone else on the road around you. It’s a responsibility that we need to take seriously as drivers, because it really matters what you do.”