Distracted driving caused nearly 8,500 collisions in Saskatchewan last year
The vast majority – 92 percent – of Saskatchewan drivers says that texting or talking while driving is a major problem that frequently occurs – and statistics from Saskatchewan Government Insurance (SGI) show their concerns are well-founded. In 2010, SGI said there were almost 8,500 collisions due to distracted driving, resulting in over 2,300 injuries and 60 deaths on the province’s roads.
To help combat the distracted driving problem even more, police are participating in a two-day blitz, called Operation HandsFree, on November 17 and 18. This blitz is the first in a new, province-wide co-ordinated approach to traffic safety, created after a meeting of all traffic enforcement units in Saskatchewan.
“By having all communities participate at the same time, these targeted blitzes will help SGI and law enforcement raise the profile of this and other traffic safety issues,” said Andrew Cartmell, President and CEO of SGI.
Each month, weather permitting, a provincial blitz will be held targeting a particular traffic safety issue. In the past, traffic blitzes were left up to individual traffic units throughout the province. The new, co-ordinated approach has been endorsed by the Saskatchewan Association of Chiefs of Police (SACP) and SGI.
“We’re very happy to be supporting this. We’ve seen collisions where cellphone use and other traffic safety violations were a factor and feel it’s good to have a targeted, province-wide approach,” said Chief Dale McFee, President of SACP.
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