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Para Transpo bus driver among 26 charged with stunt driving over long weekend

A ParaTranspo vehicle is seen driving through a residential neighbourhood in Ottawa on September 23, 2020. A ParaTranspo vehicle is seen driving through a residential neighbourhood in Ottawa on September 23, 2020.
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Ottawa police say a Para Transpo bus driver is among 26 people charged with stunt driving over the Thanksgiving long weekend.

Police released their list of tickets and charges from long weekend traffic enforcement, called “Operation Impact” on Wednesday, including 425 tickets for things like speeding (117 tickets), disobeying signs (40 tickets), cellphone violations (30 tickets) and running red lights (21 tickets).

Ottawa police said there were no passengers on the Para Transpo bus when the driver was stopped for allegedly stunt driving.

The city of Ottawa says it has launched an internal safety review into the stunt driving charge.

"OC Transpo’s top priority is the safety and security of our customers and our staff. We are aware of the situation and are taking it seriously," Manager of Bus and Para Transit Operations Chad Maahs said in a statement to CTV News Ottawa.

"As soon as we were apprised of the incident, we took immediate action and started an internal safety review and continue to work closely with the Ottawa Police."

Other accused stunt drivers include one who was going 157 km/h in an 89 km/h zone, eight G2 drivers, and one who was in a bus lane watching a video. Seventeen of the 26 drivers accused of stunt driving were stopped in a construction zone on Highway 174.

A roadside stunt driving charge comes with an automatic 30-day licence suspension and a 14-day vehicle impound. Stunt driving is applied whenever a driver is caught going 40 km/h above the speed limit on roads with a posted maximum under 80 km/h, or 50 km/h above the limit on all other roads.

“Operation Impact is a public awareness campaign focused on education and enforcement of impaired driving due to alcohol, drugs and fatigue, aggressive driving, distracted driving and the use of seat belts and child car seats,” said S/Sgt. Denis Hull, head of the OPS Traffic Unit in a news release. “These are the main causes of death and injury on Canadian roadways.”

Police said they also laid nine charges for driving while suspended, one for being unlicensed, and 12 for driving impaired.

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