More than 2,000 drivers and passengers face charges, suspensions, or warnings after Saskatchewan RCMP and traffic safety partners stopped over 5,200 vehicles during Canada Road Safety Week.
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The province-wide enforcement initiative, which ran from May 12 to May 18, saw Saskatchewan RCMP detachments and Combined Traffic Services Saskatchewan (CTSS) units target dangerous and unsafe driving behaviours.
Out of the 5,271 vehicles pulled over, police found safety violations or issues in nearly 40 per cent of the stops.
“Our police officers found safety concerns in about two out of every five vehicles they stopped,” Insp. Lee Knelsen, operations officer for Saskatchewan RCMP Traffic Services, said in a statement. “This is too high.”
Knelsen added that the statistics underscore why annual campaigns like Canada Road Safety Week remain vital.
“We will continue to remove dangerous drivers from Saskatchewan roads and to correct unsafe driving behaviours,” he said.
Alcohol and drug impairment resulted in a significant number of infractions over the seven-day blitz. Officers laid 45 alcohol-related impaired driving charges and five drug-related impaired driving charges.
Additionally, 58 drivers had their licences suspended for alcohol consumption, while another 39 received suspensions for drug use.
Aggressive driving remained the most common offence, with police issuing 1,594 tickets or warnings for speeding, unsafe passing, stunting, or tailgating.
Distracted driving — which includes using a cellphone behind the wheel, driving without due care, or driving without reasonable consideration for others — led to 167 tickets or warnings. Officers also issued 105 tickets or warnings to drivers and passengers who failed to use a seatbelt properly.
Despite the high number of infractions, Knelsen noted that many motorists were doing their part.
“While we charged, suspended, ticketed or warned 2,013 drivers, we also saw a lot of drivers who were demonstrating safe driving behaviours — thank you for helping to keep our roads safe,” he said.
Saskatchewan RCMP Traffic Services credited the Saskatchewan Highway Patrol and conservation officers with the Provincial Protective Services Branch for their assistance during the campaign.
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