SGI, RCMP to clamp down on careless driving

REGINA (April 17, 2000) — Saskatchewan wants to reverse an unsettling trend this year: the rise in traffic-related deaths when the weather improves.

Saskatchewan Government Insurance (SGI) announced a crackdown on risky driving behavior and an advertising blitz targeting young drivers who drink and drive.

Collisions involving alcohol resulting in injury or death increased an average of 56% between the first and second quarters of the last two years. Drivers under the age of 25, who account for 18% of Saskatchewan’s licensed drivers, are involved in 32% of collisions resulting in death or injury and 44% of collisions involving alcohol.

In 1999, 186 people died on Saskatchewan roads and highways, compared to 148 the previous year.

RCMP and municipal police forces across the province have made high-risk driving behaviors a priority, especially during April, May, and June. “People take more chances with their driving in the spring,” RCMP Division Traffic Supervisor Staff Sergeant Jimm Barr said. “We plan to make our presence known and officers will be even more vigilant than usual about risky driving.”