RCMP issue more than 1,100 tickets

Over the long weekend, the Saskatchewan RCMP joined in Operation Impact — a national campaign to help make Canada’s roads safer — and handed out more than 1,100 tickets.

“Slow down, put the cellphone down and buckle up,” said Sgt. Pete Garvey with the Yorkton RCMP Detachment.

Although there have been fewer fatalities this year compared with previous years, Garvey said there are far too many distracted and aggressive drivers on Saskatchewan roads.

As part of Operation Impact, he and four other RCMP members patrolled the Trans-Canada Highway from the Manitoba border to Grenfell, and he said he was surprised at the rates of speed of some motorists.

He said there were motorists travelling at 40 to 50 kilometres per hour over the posted limit.

“People just drive and they have no regard for anyone else,” said Garvey. “If you’re driving at a high rate of speed and it’s wet everywhere, if you actually hit the ditch, like blow a tire and hit the ditch, chances are you are going to roll and get seriously injured.”

He said that’s a big problem because when that happens, a motorist puts everyone else on the road in danger.

Garvey said distracted driving has become a big problem on the roads.

“When we didn’t have cellphones we had people playing with the radio, but now they don’t do that; (instead) they talk and text and that’s causing more grief,” he said. “Put your phone in your purse or put it on the floor and if it dings, leave it alone. We are such a society nowadays that we have to know what’s going on right away. We are so in tune to everything that’s in the outside world, but we are not aware of our surroundings.”

Over the weekend, Garvey’s team issued about 40 tickets to motorists for using their cellphones while driving.

He said everything went well and he was grateful to all the other detachments for their efforts in this year’s traffic safety blitz. However, he was disheartened at the number of fatalities that occurred.

Over the Thanksgiving weekend, three people lost their lives and seven others were injured on southern Saskatchewan roads.

Garvey said Operation Impact has been a national campaign for several years and it serves a good purpose to motorists.

“It reminds people that winter is coming and you got to slow down and take your time.”