More than 350 drunks nabbed

Each and every day in Canada, four people are killed and 175 are injured in impaired driving-related crashes.

Despite that sobering statistic; the campaigns by grieving mothers, governments and insurers; and the serious personal legal consequences, Saskatchewanians still drink and drive en masse.

Last month, police levied 351 Criminal Code impaired driving-related charges in SGI’s traffic safety focus for the month of May.

“SGI reminds motorists to always plan a safe ride home and never get into a vehicle with someone who has been drinking or using drugs,” a press release stated.

While drunk driving remains the second biggest killer on Canadian roads, the proliferation of smartphones has made distracted driving the number one problem.

Police also issued 325 citations for distracted driving, 225 of which were for cell phone use.

In July, police will be targeting speeding and aggressive driving, number three of the big roadway killers.

May saw 5,616 tickets issued for speeding/aggressive driving.

The provincial insurers recipe for road safety is pretty simple: stay sober, pay attention and slow down. It’s not just your own life you may end up saving.

Going non-postal

Meanwhile, SGI is bracing for a potential Canada Post workers strike, which could happen as early as Saturday. The insurer is encouraging its customers to be proactive by ensuring driver’s licences, vehicle registrations and insurance policies are up to date.

Driving an unregistered vehicle in Saskatchewan carries a fine of $580 and a postal strike is not an excuse in the courts.

SGI is also encouraging people to get away from reliance on the postal service.

“While some minor impacts are expected in the event of a postal service disruption, SGI’s priority is to continue meeting customers’ needs,” said Andrew Cartmell, president and CEO of SGI.

“Anyone concerned about missing an important notification from us can sign up for MySGI and provide an email address. With a MySGI account, we can send you reminders and important notifications electronically, such as email reminders about driver’s licence and vehicle registration renewal dates.”