Nearly 5,000 speeding tickets handed out to Sask. drivers in April
SGI is urging drivers to put the brakes on speeding.
Saskatchewan police handed out 4,873 speeding tickets in April.
It’s not the most tickets given in a month, but the number is significant said Tyler McMurchy, manager of media relations for SGI.
“The highest we saw in the last three years is 6,159 in May of 2017,” he said. “But this is on the high side. It can range from the mid3,000s to over 5,000 typically.”
Speeding is one of the leading causes of collisions that cause injuries and fatalities on Saskatchewan roads, said McMurchy.
Our public roads aren’t race tracks. You’re not, you know, Danica Patrick or Dale Earnhardt Jr. Slow down.
In 2016, there were more than 1,600 speed-related collisions, which resulted in 22 people dead and 579 injured.
He urges people to slow down. “Those posted speed limits are there for a reason, they are the law,” McMurchy said. “Our public roads aren’t race tracks. You’re not, you know, Danica Patrick or Dale Earnhardt Jr. Slow down.”
Const. Curtis Warnar with the Regina Police Service’s traffic unit frequently tweets to grab drivers’ attention and get them to lighten up on the gas pedal.
On April 18 he tweeted: “My laugh for the morning so far ... stopped this vehicle for 69 in a 50. When I get to the window the driver says ‘You’ve got me here before, but last time I was going the other way.’ Our goal is to change driver behaviour, mission not accomplished.”
Those who ignore the speed limits will be hit in the wallet.
On May 1, the province hiked the price of speeding tickets, doubling the kilometres per hour charge from $1 to $2 for driving above the posted speed limit, and upping the base fine on all speeding tickets by $30.
This means that going 20 km/h over the speed limit is a total fine of $190, and 20 km/ h over in a school zone is a $310 fine. Going 80 km/ h past workers in a 60 km/h orange zone brings a $440 fine.
Speeding is not the only safety issue for which police are on the lookout. Police release monthly statistics on impaired drivers, distracted drivers, occupant restraints (including seat belts and carseats) and speeding.
In April, police gave out 516 tickets for distracted driving — 426 of those were for using cellphones.
Distracted driving is a huge problem in the province, McMurchy said.
“Distracted driving has been the No. 1 cause of injuries on Saskatchewan roads, the No. 1 cause of collisions, and it’s No. 2 in causing fatalities, (second) only to impaired driving,” he said.
Often, in a fatality, several factors are at play, said McMurchy.
“If we could have everybody driving sober, driving without distraction, buckling up and obeying speed limits, it would make our roads quite a bit safer.”