Holiday travellers may notice a much heavier police presence on Ontario roads this weekend.

It's part of a nationwide awareness campaign that launched Friday, with the goal of making Canada's roads the safest in the world.

It's called "Operation Impact" and the focus is to crack down on the four leading causes of road fatalities: aggressive driving, impaired driving, inattentive driving and failure to use a seatbelt.

OPP Sgt. Kerry Schmidt calls them "the big four" and says they have already taken a big toll this year.

"We in the OPP have already had 156 people lose their lives in collisions directly connected to those issues," Schmidt said.

Accidents caused by speeding have been the deadliest, with 50 fatalities directly linked to drivers who exceeded the posted speed limit.

So far this year, the OPP has already laid more than 175,000 charges related to the big four, but this weekend isn't about handing out tickets. The hope is to raise awareness, and educate drivers about the potential consequences associated with these issues.

Schmidt says seven people died on Ontario roads over the Thanksgiving weekend in 2016 and two more last year. He hopes to get that number down to zero this year.

"If you're driving on a highway this weekend, share the road," Schmidt said. "Be fully alert and attentive to the task of driving."