Operation Impact 2024 brings traffic enforcement to Nova Scotia for Thanksgiving

RCMP officers wearing safety vests are pictured on the road, guiding traffic.

Operation Impact 2024 is coming to Nova Scotia for Thanksgiving weekend. From Friday through Monday, Nova Scotia RCMP will join police forces across the country to educate drivers and enforce safe driving behavior.

Drivers can expect to see police on the roads during the proactive weekend initiative aimed at removing impaired drivers and ensuring compliance with other safe practices. RCMP asked Nova Scotian motorists to plan ahead for safe travel to and from Thanksgiving celebrations in a news release.

Operation Impact 2024 takes place over Thanksgiving because there tends to be increased traffic during holidays and long weekends.

Every year, motor vehicles collisions kill approximately 2,000 Canadians and injured 165,000, said the release, adding that 10,000 of those injuries are “serious or life-altering.” Police said many collisions are not accidents but result from a driver’s conscious decision. The main causes of death are impaired driving, distracted driving, aggressive driving and not wearing a seatbelt, the release said.

This year, Operation Impact’s message to Canadians is, "Don't risk lives with bad driving behaviours. Safety is literally in every driver's hands."

Operation Impact is led by the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police (CACP) in support of Canada’s Road Safety Strategy 2025. The strategy’s goal is to make Canada’s roads the safest in the world.

Police say if you see a driver who is an immediate threat to road safety, call 911 and pass the following information along, if possible:

• A description of the vehicle and driver
• A licence plate number
• The direction the vehicle is travelling.

For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page.