The long weekend is upon us, and RCMP is asking you to keep road safety a priority.

"As with every long weekend we do see an increase of motorists on the highway," says Constable Sean O'Keefe, RCMP media liaison officer. "Traveling up to cottages, doing last-minute shopping here now before school starts... the only thing we would ask is that people just pay attention to what they're doing. Distracted driving is becoming one of the leading causes of fatalities on our roadways."

O'Keefe adds the recent collisions at highways 1 and 16 have prompted RCMP to ramp up police presence on the roadway over the entire weekend.