REGINA – Police across Saskatchewan will be targeting aggressive drivers in orange work zones for July’s traffic safety spotlight. Saskatchewan Government Insurance (SGI) and the Ministry of Highways and Infrastructure are partnering with police forces in the province to keep construction workers safe.
Officials are urging drivers to consider the true costs of speeding through a work zone.
“While the financial costs are significant, the real costs are impacts on human life,” said Don McMorris, the minister responsible for SGI. “Aggressive driving in work zones not only puts motorists and their vehicles at risk, it also needlessly endangers the lives of workers and other road users.”
On May 3 of this year, three Carrot River, Sask. teens were killed in a work zone crash. The teens, who were returning home after a football camp in Saskatoon, were stopped at a construction zone on Highway 5 when the car they were in was hit from behind by a semi.
A flag person was sent to a Saskatoon hospital with multiple injuries.
READ MORE: Three teens dead in multi-vehicle crash at Sask. construction zone
There were 201 work zone collisions resulting in 48 injuries in 2014, according to government numbers, and 774 people were convicted for speeding in work zones.
“Our ministry has implemented a number of safety measures to protect them but ultimately it is up to the drivers to follow the rules and pay close attention,” said Highways and Infrastructure Minister Nancy Heppner.
Fines for speeding in work zones start at $300, and for those caught going more than 30 km/h over the speed limit, fines start at $530.
READ MORE: Ad campaign targets speeders in Saskatchewan work zones
Last month, the province launched its annual ad campaign to remind drivers to slow down to 60 km/h in work zones.
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