Campaign results in fewer road accidents

REGINA, Sask. — Safer driving has led to 19 per cent fewer fatalities and 18 per cent fewer injuries in the first year of tougher traffic safety laws in Saskatchewan, according to preliminary numbers from Saskatchewan Government Insurance (SGI) in Regina.

“Early numbers indicate your safe driving has saved 30 lives and prevented more than 1,200 injuries,” Don McMorris, Minister responsible for SGI, said in a statement issued on Oct. 14.

The numbers covered the period from July 1, 2014 to June 30, 2015. Changes to traffic law in Saskatchewan took effect on June 27, 2014 as a result of recommendations made by the all-party Special Committee on Traffic Safety.

The Saskatchewan Road Safety Challenge, a province-wide multimedia awareness campaign with the slogan, “We can drive better,” was launched in May 2014 to complement changes to traffic safety law. At the time, traffic fatalities and injuries in the province were trending upward, and government took action to reverse the trend.

Based on the four-year average from July 1, 2010 to June 30, 2014, 158 people on average were killed and nearly 6,900 people were injured in traffic collisions each year in the province prior to implementation of the new traffic laws.

“It is very encouraging to see fewer fatalities and injuries, but we all need to maintain safe driving habits and learn new ones, and ongoing education, awareness and enforcement will help,” McMorris said. “We can drive better and make our roads safer for everyone. At the end of the day, we all want to make it to our destination or home to our families, safe and sound.”

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