Drivers in northern Ontario hit the road for the holiday weekend

The May long weekend is upon us and northern Ontarians didn't waste time Friday hitting the road and getting to their camp or cottage. (Ian Campbell/CTV News)

It didn't take long for drivers to hit the road this holiday weekend -- and it doesn't appear many of them are worried about the price of gas.

With COVID-19 restrictions lifted, drivers flocked to the service centre in McKerrow, west of Sudbury, as they made the turn to Manitoulin Island or carried on along the TransCanada highway.

Maawdi Pitawanakwat lives in Whitefish River First Nation and was spending the long weekend at home.

"We were like in hibernation for two years, two and a half years and right now it's really, really exciting," she said.

"You get to see family, you get to see friends. You don't have to wear your masks, but I see a lot of people are wearing them just to be self-cautious … The May 2-4 weekend, it's here!"

Others were taking to the road.

Sudburian David Daoust and his wife have been making the pilgrimage to Manitoulin every May long weekend since they married. David said they're looking forward to cocktails and maybe a campfire.

"Well we gassed up on Tuesday before planning for today and uh, we know that we're probably going to fill up on the Island where it's a little cheaper before we leave," he said.

Bob was making his way from North Bay to Massey to meet with relatives.

"We're going to hit the road one way or the other -- it's nice that it dropped a little bit but yeah, it is what it is," he said about high gas prices.

Const. Robert Lewis of the Ontario Provincial Police said whatever people decide to do, they need to do it safely. They're hoping for a fatality-free weekend.

Lewis said police will be out in full force looking for speeders, drunk, aggressive and distracted drivers.

"Long weekends are always a concern because there's always a more high volume of traffic on our highways with people travelling to and from destinations," he said.

"Because of the high volume, the chances of violations happening are higher."

It's also Road Safety week and Boat Safety week, two campaigns designed to help ensure people get safely home from their holiday destination.