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What the OPP Is calling one of the deadliest Thanksgiving in recent history claimed eight lives on Ontario roadways even as the force issued thousands of tickets to drive home seatbelt and speeding laws.

The eight victims died in four incidents, all on Saturday.

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Separate two-vehicle crashes near Port Perry and Guelph each killed three people. Two other people died in separate crashes in Elgin and Brant counties.

Just the day before, the OPP had wrapped up its fall campaign to get people to buckle up, laying 2,475 seatbelt charges over days, and launched the national Operation Impact Campaign.

The 6,934 charges laid during the latter blitz from Oct. 5-8 included:

5,295 for speeding

105 for stunt driving or racing

406 for improper seatbelt use

149 for distracted driving

903 moving violations

76 charges of impaired or “over 80” driving

33 licence suspensions for blood-alcohol levels in in the “warn” range

“The OPP is reminding the motoring public that safe driving is the single most effective way to reduce the number of deaths and injuries on our roads,” the force said in a release Thursday.