Canada Road Safety Week was May 14-20 and Manitoba police were out in force watching for dangerous drivers.
Manitoba RCMP released numbers Wednesday showing the result of their “focus on high-risk driving behaviours.”
The week coincided with the beginning of seasonal road trips to the cottage and for camping. Although long weekends typically result in highway fatalities, RCMP said there were no motor vehicle related deaths during the May long weekend, or during the road safety campaign.
There were, however, a significant number of driving infractions to deal with during the week-long initiative across the province.
- 28 people charged with Criminal Code Impaired Driving
- Six alcohol or drug-related administrative suspensions
- 10 charges for failing to wear seatbelts
- 479 charges for speeding
- Two charges for using a handheld electronic device while driving
- 209 other traffic-related charges
Police conducted 23 checkstops throughout Manitoba on May 18 alone, in conjunction with National Impaired Driving Enforcement Day.
They stopped some 1,000 vehicles.
The 2019 numbers are a vast improvement over those from the previous year. During the same campaign in 2018, there were two fatalities and many more charges laid in all but one of the six categories:
- 41 people charged with Criminal Code Impaired Driving (Impaired, Over .08 or Refusal)
- 12 alcohol related administrative suspensions
- 22 charges for failing to wear seatbelts
- 794 charges for speeding
- 11 charges for using a handheld electronic device while driving
- 131 other traffic-related charges
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