OPP receive over 400 calls during unruly Wasaga Beach weekend takeover

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Police in Wasaga Beach, Ontario, were kept busy this past weekend during an unsanctioned takeover that drew hundreds of stunt drivers to the area for the second year in a row. 

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According to the OPP’s count, a total of 439 calls for service came in regarding motorists in the Wasaga Beach, Springwater, and Clearview areas. Extra police units were on hand to help control the motorized chaos, handing out an impressive 383 offence notices during the period from Friday to Sunday when the event took place.  

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OPP receive over 400 calls during unruly Wasaga Beach weekend takeover Back to video

Seventy of the vehicles that were driven into the beach communities on the weekend will not be leaving this week as they were towed. Of those 70, 33 were hit with safety infractions, likely for aftermarket mods or deletions, and another 22 were impounded for stunt driving. Police also removed four motorists for impaired driving.

Unfortunately for the locals not keen on roasting their car tires in front of the local grocers, this is the second year in a row that the event has taken over Wasaga Beach. Last year, OPP used aircraft in concert with squad cars to remove dozens of cars and hand out the stunt driving charges to rambunctious attendees. 

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Apparently the takeover’s organizers consider the shocking police response a sign of a successful get-together. They went on to brag about the negative media exposure on the organization’s Instagram account. 

At Driving, we very much disagree with this assessment of success, preferring our car events and get togethers not to require an “extra police presence.” This sort of corrosive activity brings car culture under a microscope, and it only serves to harden public opinion against the hobby.