Fewer people were killed on Saskatchewan roads in 2019 than in any single year since records were first kept, SGI (Saskatchewan Government Insurance) reported Monday.
SGI said there were 71 fatalities during the year, two fewer than the previous low of 73 recorded in 1951.
“This number makes it clear that many Saskatchewan people have decided that it is no longer acceptable for this province to hold a different record, and one that we held not that many years ago, where we had the highest number of road fatalities in Canada,” Joe Hargrave, the minister responsible for SGI, said in a statement.
“However, collisions are preventable and even one traffic death is too many. We can’t celebrate when people are still being killed and injured on our roads.”
Saskatchewan averaged nearly 140 fatalities per year between 2009-2018, SGI said.
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In a report released in August 2019, SGI said fatalities and injuries in collisions continue to decrease, “particularly those caused by impaired driving, distracted driving, speeding and improper seatbelt use.”
SGI president and CEO Andrew Cartmell said while increased enforcement, targeted legislation and public awareness campaigns are factors in the decline, it comes down to decision making.
“When people make the decision to drive safely, it literally saves lives,” Cartmell said in a release.
“If you are one of the drivers who still chooses to take risks like texting while you’re driving, driving when you’re impaired or driving at unsafe speeds, you are now in the minority.”
SGI said the numbers released Monday are preliminary, based on data from police forces in the province, and may be adjusted.
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