(St. John’s, NL), March 3, 2023 – The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary (RNC) and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police of Newfoundland and Labrador (RCMP-NL) collaborated with a traffic enforcement initiative on Thursday, March 2, 2023.

On Thursday, March 2, 2023, members of RNC Traffic Services Division, RNC Accident Investigation Division and RCMP-NL Traffic Services East completed a “move over law” traffic initiative in the area of the Trans-Canada Highway and Witless Bay Line overpass. Throughout the morning, officers conducted LiDAR speed enforcement, subsequently issuing 16 speeding tickets and one seat belt ticket. In addition, members were also focused on enforcing the “move over law”, subsequently issuing an additional 11 tickets in relation to a failure to move over as required under the Highway Traffic Act.

While there is compliance with this law, there are still some vehicle operators jeopardizing the safety of people required to access our roadways by failing to move over for emergency services.

This collaborative effort was moved to the Team Gushue Highway, where the officers issued 24 tickets, predominantly for speeding. A vehicle was seized during this portion of the operation, as officers determined the operator was driving the vehicle without an insurance policy.

The RNC and RCMP-NL are stressing the importance of awareness while operating a vehicle across our province. Please ensure that you slow down and move over when encountering any emergency service in operation on our roads. Your awareness and safe operation can save a life.

The RNC request that anyone observing aggressive driving behaviour contact the RNC at 729-8000 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477). You can now provide information anonymously on the NL Crime Stoppers Website at www.nlcrimestoppers.com or use the P3Tips app #SayItHere

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Cst. James. C. Cadigan  #775
Media Relations & Public Communication
Royal Newfoundland Constabulary
media@rnc.gov.nl.ca