Tip Tuesday with the Oxford OPP - May 2026

Tuesday, 26 May 2026 09:25

Constable Randi Crawford called the Heart FM studio for the May edition of Tip Tuesday.

OXFORD - It was an interesting edition of Tip Tuesday with the Oxford OPP.

Community Safety and Media Relations Constable Randi Crawford answered a variety of questions this morning, with the topics centering around the stop signs at intersections, the lines on the road, and more.

You can find the complete breakdown of the questions answered below:

1) What is the legal distance a car needs to be parked from an intersection?

Constable Crawford says 9 metres or 29.5 feet is the minimum, which is about the length of a whale shark. However, she adds it may be different in some areas.

"Some municipalities will actually have it so its longer so 10 metres, 12 metres, etc."

2) Can a driver get a ticket for running a stop sign that's in a parking lot?

Constable Crawfard says you can't get a ticket under the Highway Traffic Act, but you could still be charged.

"If you were to cause a collision by not stopping, you could actually be charged with dangerous driving under the Criminal Code."

She says these stop signs are there for a reason, so they should be obeyed.

A lot of businesses also have outdoor security cameras nowadays, so there is a good chance you will be caught on video if you run a stop sign in a parking lot.

3) Can you pass a vehicle on a double solid line? Could you be charged if get caught?

Constable Crawford says it's technically not illegal, but that doesn't mean you should do it.

"It is not illegal. It is a strong safety guideline as opposed to an illegal action. However, passing on a double line is highly discouraged and police could charge you with unsafe passing or careless driving if your manuver is unsafe."

4) When there is a vehicle parked on the side of the road and there's two cars driving down that road in opposite directions, does the vehicle with the clear path have the right of way and does the vehicle that's being blocked by the parked vehicle have to yield to oncoming traffic?

Constable Crawford says this is an issue we all run into from time to time, but the answer is fairly simple.

"So if you're driving and there is a vehicle in front of you that's parked on the side of the road and narrowing the roadway so you have to navigate around them, you MUST yield the right of way to oncoming traffic."

If you know of an area where this is a consistent issue, Crawford says you should report it to your municipality so no parking signs could be installed.

5) How does someone report a speeding driver to police?

This was a very timely question, after the Oxford OPP recently charged a 20-year-old with dangerous driving on Highway 403. Crawford says the driver in question was going over 260 kilometres per hour, and thankfully someone reported it.

"What happened here is a person had video evidence, and they online reported it and uploaded the video. So it was without a doubt dangerous driving, it was a scary recording! So because it was a Criminal Code offence, we were able to charge that person after the fact with dangerous driving."

This individual also could have called the OPP non-emergency phone number at 1-888-310-1122.

Crawford says this person came across the video evidence after the fact. If you notice dangerous driving activity as its happening, you should call 911 to report it right away.

The next Tip Tuesday is scheduled for Tuesday, June 30th and you can submit a question online here.