SUDBURY -- This is National Teen Driving Safety Week, and across the northeastern region, police are warning young drivers to slow down after seeing a spike in offences.

Greater Sudbury Police said so far this year, there has been a big increase in number of drivers ticketed for speeding and stunt driving.

"In 2019 was it was 43, and 2020 so far is 133,” said Const. Melissa Rancourt, with the Greater Sudbury Police Service.

Some of those pulled over were G2 drivers, and police say it’s concerning.

“Young G2 drivers don’t have the driving experience and don’t have the knowledge base to be able to safely drive, especially at an excessive speed,” said Rancourt.

Sudbury police said one reason for the increase in speeders is there has been less traffic on the roads with the pandemic keeping many people home.

“It did seem that the more open roadways encouraged people to be less mindful of their speed and we did notice a spike during that time,” said Rancourt.

She said traffic complaints are one of the biggest issues the service deals with.

“In response to the concerns about traffic safety by the community, we have increased the size of our unit and made an effort as a unit to target dangerous driving, such as excessive speeding,” said Rancourt.

Penalties for speeding and stunt driving offences range from $2,000 up to $10,000 in fines, as well as possible jail time.