Results from the May Traffic Safety Spotlight show what happens when there is strong enforcement of traffic laws.
The May Traffic Safety Spotlight was on impaired driving, but the results that came back showed law enforcement units across the province were focused on more than just that. May set new Traffic Safety Spotlight records for the number of distracted driving, seatbelt, and speeding offences.
During May, police reported the following numbers:
1,025 distracted driving offences (including 957 for using a cellphone while driving);
697 offences related to seatbelts and car seats;
8,884 speeding and aggressive driving offences; and
325 impaired driving offences, including 273 Criminal Code charges (the only category that didn’t set a TSS record; but that’s still 325 more offences than is acceptable).
These are new records that no one is celebrating.
Impairment, driver distraction or inattention, speeding and not wearing a seatbelt are “The Big Four” when it comes to traffic fatalities. In 2017, there were 86 collisions that resulted in one or more deaths. All but eight of those collisions involved at least one of those factors.
High numbers of traffic offences don’t necessarily mean more people are speeding, driving distracted or not buckling up. It means police are catching more of the people who are still doing it.
With a total of 120 new traffic officer positions added since 2014 via the Combined Traffic Services Saskatchewan initiative, enforcement has never been more prevalent or effective. During May in particular, we saw an increase in offences written by the RCMP who ran additional enforcement for Canada Road Safety Week. But it would be great if there were fewer people demonstrating these unsafe driving behaviours for police to catch.
No matter the spotlight, traffic units are focused on “The Big Four” year-round. If you’re disobeying traffic laws, the chances of being caught are higher than ever.
June’s Traffic Safety Spotlight is focused on distracted driving. SGI doesn’t want you to miss out on life because of a cellphone or other distracting behaviours behind the wheel.
And, please, help us not set any more records for traffic offences.
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