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A higher than usual number of serious crashes and fatalities in recent months have forced police to target aggressive, inattentive, impaired or careless drivers.

This was especially evident on our highways the weekend of June 8-10, when police were on the lookout for impaired or inattentive or careless drivers, aggressive driving and those motorists not obeying highway rules. But it’s an ongoing effort.

The RCMP Annapolis Valley Traffic Services reminds the motoring public of the Road Safety Vision 2010 initiatives to make Canada’s roads the safest in the world. This effort includes targeting impaired drivers and enforcing seatbelt use in order to reduce serious injuries and fatalities.

Police note that in the Valley between the end of April and the end of May this year, there were four fatal crashes involving a total of five fatalities and six serious injuries. As well, in the Valley during that period, there were 13 crashes involving injuries and there have been numerous dangerous driving complaints.

Cst. Andy Hamilton of Annapolis Valley Traffic Services said, “we’ve been doing ongoing things,” and the public can expect to see a couple of seatbelt-use blitzes in the next while.

And he noted it’s not just about Highway 101. Secondary roads have been where a number of fatalities and injuries have taken place and those routes get police attention.

Meanwhile, Hamilton said, “over the last month or six weeks we’ve been seeing a spike” in incidents.

The number of highway fatalities has almost hit the total for 2005.

“It’s all about seatbelts, seatbelts and seatbelts,” Hamilton said. If a person is involved in a crash, he or she has a much better chance of survival if wearing the available seatbelt.

He said that drivers should be leaving home thinking they could meet a checkpoint around any corner, so buckling up and not being impaired are definitely in order.