Submitted by SGI
Life is not a video game, and more than 8,000 Saskatchewan drivers found out that speeding on public roads doesn’t win you any trophies or unlock any secret levels – there are real consequences for driving too fast.
In April, law enforcement in Saskatchewan issued 8,081 tickets for speeding and aggressive driving (this number reflects only manually written tickets, not tickets issued via photo speed enforcement).
Of those drivers caught speeding:
• 433 exceeded the speed limit in a school zone
• 341 exceeded 60 km/h while passing a stopped emergency vehicle with lights flashing
• 247 exceeded the speed limit by more than 35 km/h, and
• an additional 46 exceeded the speed limit by more than 50 km/h (in addition to a hefty fine, this offence also comes with an automatic seven-day vehicle seizure).
Driving is not about getting a high score or beating other drivers to the next red light – it’s about making it to your destination safe and sound.
Excessive speeding and aggressive driving are among the leading factors in traffic-related deaths and injuries on Saskatchewan’s roads. Speeding affects your control and reaction time – meaning you’re more likely to get in a collision at higher speeds. And the faster you’re going, the more severe the collision is going to be.
So #SlowDown. In real life, you don’t get a replay.
During the April spotlight, police also issued tickets for other traffic infractions including:
• 744 distracted driving offences (634 for cellphone use)
• 281 impaired driving offences (including 258 Criminal Code charges)
• 553 offences regarding seatbelts/child car seats
May’s Traffic Safety Spotlight continues to focus on impaired driving. In 2017, 368 people were injured in impaired driving collisions. Often, these injuries are serious, and the impacts can be forever.
