Friday the worst day during long weekend for road deaths: MPI

WINNIPEG — If you’re heading out of town for the long weekend make sure you are buckled up and paying close attention to the roads.

Friday is the worst day for road fatalities and injuries during long weekend holidays, according to new data released by Manitoba Public Insurance.

READ MORE: 1 person dead after crash involving a semi near Warren, Man.

It’s when more than one-third, or 35 percent, of crashes happen. On average, there’s one death and 80 injuries every long weekend.

Those numbers are on top of the fact that road fatalities are already higher this year than in the past.

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Saturday and Monday, on the other hand, have the smallest proportion of victims during the long weekend. The data comes from claims collected by Manitoba’s public auto insurer between 2011-2015.

On average, one person is killed and 80 others injured over a long weekend in Manitoba.

Already this year, 44 people have been killed on Manitoba roadways and it is just over halfway through the year.  MPI said that is concerning because that’s 22 per cent higher than the average of 36 people killed over the same period of time for the last five years.

READ MORE: Number of road fatalities doubles this year: Manitoba RCMP

“44 fatalities is much more than a number. These are fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers and best friends,” said Ward Keith, communications and chief product officer at MPI, in a news release. “These are lives that have been tragically lost and must serve as a reminder to all Manitobans that safety on our streets and highways must stay top of mind as we head to our destinations this coming weekend.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "44 fatalities is much more than a number. These are fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers and best friends," said Ward Keith, communications and chief product officer at MPI, in a news release. "These are lives that have been tragically lost and must serve as a reminder to all Manitobans that safety on our streets and highways must stay top of mind as we head to our destinations this coming weekend."

MPI was able to boil down the crashes to three major causes: distracted driving, impaired driving and speeding. It also said that one in four crashes is related to distracted driving.

Another big problem is drivers and passengers not wearing seatbelts. People who don’t wear a seatbelt are 30 times more likely to be killed in a collision than those who buckle up.

MPI also wanted to remind drivers to slow down. Speeding at-fault drivers are responsible for an average of 22 fatal and 400 injury crashes each year.