life jackets 16. That’s the number of people who lost their lives on OPP patrolled roads and waterways on the long weekend.

The stats say nine people died on the roads, six in the water by drowning and there was a boating accident.

Mark Andrews is in charge of the Traffic and Marine Unit within the Northeast Region.

He says the death in the water in this region told a familiar story that of someone not wearing their personal flotation device.

Two people were in a canoe and it capsized. One of them survived and one of them didn’t.

Police say both of the men were not wearing personal flotation devices. Andrews says they would prefer that people put the PFD’s on even though the law states you just need to have them on board.

Andrews says many people think that’s good enough and says in this region there have been horrible incidents that could have been prevented if people were wearing their PFD.

Andrews says he would love to see the wearing of PFD’s mandatory.