Highway deaths increasing in Manitoba, RCMP say

Manitoba RCMP say the number of road collision fatalities is up from last year.

So far on record in 2018 there have been 51 collisions, resulting in 56 deaths. Another fatality over the weekend on Hwy. 59 brings that number to 57.

Those numbers are higher than the five year average and are up by about a dozen from 2017.

“Almost every weekend we seem to be having a tragedy involving collisions that are preventable,” Sgt. Paul Manaigre said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "Almost every weekend we seem to be having a tragedy involving collisions that are preventable," Sgt. Paul Manaigre said.

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Manaigre said divers in the province need to start wearing seat belts and to stop driving under the influence.

Just last week, a 15-year-old Selkirk boy was killed on a Manitoba highway after a collision involving drugs.

Manaigre added that many of the collisions to date involved high-risk driving behaviours.

“The speeds, the seat belts, the alcohol… there’s lots of factors that people have control of,” Manaigre said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "The speeds, the seat belts, the alcohol… there's lots of factors that people have control of," Manaigre said.

“We have to encourage Manitobans to drive safely.”

WATCH: Two-vehicle crash closes Manitoba highway 

0:44 Two-vehicle crash closes Manitoba highway Monday