On average, one person is killed, and 90 others are injured each long holiday weekend, with 36% of those injuries and deaths occurring on Friday.
Satvir Jatana, MPI’s Chief Customer Officer, stressed the importance of roadway safety, especially during holiday weekends.
“There’s an air of excitement as we enter a long holiday weekend. But sometimes, that excitement translates into high-risk driving behaviours. Speeding continues to be an issue of concern. Over the last few years, speed was a contributing factor in about one in four of all fatal crashes on Manitoba public roadways.”
In 2020, there were 70 fatal collisions on public roads in Manitoba, resulting in 78 fatalities, according to Manitoba Public Insurance data.
Manitoba Public Insurances top five safety tips:
Don’t drive while impaired by drugs or alcohol. Driving drunk or high slows reaction time and continues to be a significant contributor to fatal collisions in Manitoba. It’s also a Criminal offence that can result in severe penalties, including jail time.
Don’t speed. Speeding at-fault drivers are responsible for the deaths of 20 people each year and injure almost 800 others.
Don’t text and drive. It’s against the law and attracts five demerits on the Driver Safety Rating scale. More than one in three fatal crashes in Manitoba are related to distracted driving.
Buckle up. A person is more than 50 times more likely to be killed and almost four times more likely to be seriously injured when not wearing a seatbelt.
Slow down in construction zones. Watch for signs as the speed limit will be lower in a construction zone. Follow directions. The flag person helps control the flow of traffic. Follow their directions, including slowing down or stopping.
