On average, five people die on Canadian roads every day — and RCMP in Nova Scotia say despite awareness campaigns, people continue to drive without seatbelts, and drive while impaired or distracted.
Wednesday, Nov. 16 was the National Day of Remembrance for road crash victims, an opportunity for people across the country to take a moment and remember those who have lost their lives.
“It just reflects what our family has been going through for the last eight years since our son was killed on Highway 103,” said Bruce Hetherington.
He lost his son Jamie in June of 2008 in a head-on collision near Tantallon, N.S.
Since then, Hetherington has been an outspoken advocate of the need to twin highways in the province.
“I’m glad the RCMP and the police are taking advantage of it, keeping it in front of the public to slow down, stop with the distractions and province wake up and start twinning these 100 series highways,” he said.
WATCH: ‘Going backwards’: N.S. fire chief’s petition to twin Highway 104 denied
Almost 1,900 people are killed every year in our country as the result of a motor vehicle accident. An additional 149,000 people are injured in crashes annually.
“The majority of the deaths and car accidents are preventable,” said RCMP Const. Dan Pottie.
Pottie has been a police officer for nearly three decades. He says there are some accidents that first responders can’t forget.
For him, two accidents that happened just 12 hours apart stand out. The first happened on New Years Eve, when he witnessed a man, who was the passenger in a car and not wearing a seat beat, badly hurt after striking his head on a windshield.
The other, involved a family of three that not only miraculously survived a roll over along a Nova Scotia highway, but left the scene of the crash without a scratch.
“Sometimes people survive horrific crashes and you have a moment where you realize things could have been much different,” Pottie said.
READ MORE: 35-year-old Halifax woman killed along Highway 104
RCMP say despite years of public awareness campaigns, some motorists continue to drive without seatbelts.
“I remember a really bad crash where the victims were wearing seat belts, and because of that, they walked away. Too often that’s not the case. Believe me, seat belts work,” said Pottie.
Police say distracted driving is a growing safety concern on Nova Scotia roads. Although texting or using mobile phones continues to be a problem, even having a driver eating behind the wheel or changing the radio station could be a safety risk.
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RCMP say the prevalence of drug impaired driving is now rivaling alcohol impaired driving.
“The active ingredient in marijuana slows down our reflexes, much like alcohol does. So if you’re not going to get into a car with a drunk driver, it doesn’t make sense to get into a car with a stoned driver, because his reaction times are slowed down, just like a drunk [person],” said Cst. Pottie.
Officers say everyone has a responsibility to share the road and are asking all Nova Scotians to drive safety and potentially save a life.
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