The August long weekend is almost upon us and while OPP officers are on the highways and waterways trying to keep us safe, we’re being asked to help make sure police officers and other emergency workers stay safe too.

As such, the OPP  launched their “slow down and move over” campaign on Thursday morning, aimed at reminding the public about the law that requires drivers to slow down and move over if safe to do so for all tow trucks, police, ambulance and fire emergency vehicles with their emergency lights activated

If you’re caught for failing to adhere to the law, you could face a fine of between 1,000 and 4,000 dollars, possible jail time of up to six months and possible driver’s license suspension for up to two years along with demerit points.

The OPP laid 1,891 charges last year against drivers who failed to slow down and move over, marking one of the highest number of annual OPP charges for this offence since the law was enacted in 2003.

Since 1989, five OPP officers have been killed after being struck by an approaching vehicle while carrying out their duties on the side of the road.