Saskatchewan RCMP is issuing a stark warning to motorists after a surge in deadly road collisions across the province left 17 people dead in less than two weeks.
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Between July 10 and July 21, officers responded to 12 fatal crashes. Police reported that alcohol or drugs were a contributing factor in half of those incidents.
Speaking during a media availability on July 22, Insp. Lee Knelsen, operations officer for Saskatchewan RCMP Traffic Services, urged drivers to take immediate responsibility behind the wheel.
“Saskatchewan RCMP officers have been responding to an increasing number of fatal collisions. We’d like to share our concerns with the public by making these numbers known,” Knelsen said.
“To be clear, these are not just numbers. They represent lives lost, and these numbers are increasing.”
The recent deaths reflect a broader, troubling trend on Saskatchewan roads this summer. Between June 1 and July 22, Mounties investigated 23 fatal collisions resulting in 27 deaths.
Compared to the same period in 2025 — which saw 13 fatal crashes and 13 deaths — that marks a 77 per cent increase in fatal collisions and a 108 per cent rise in fatalities, even with more than a week remaining in July.
Impairment, in particular, has seen a sharp year-over-year rise. During the first six months of 2025, 35 per cent of fatal crashes investigated involved alcohol or drugs. Over the same period in 2026, that figure climbed to 52 per cent.
The 12 recent fatal collisions spanned multiple detachments across the province:
- Maple Creek: 3 fatalities
- North Battleford: 2 fatalities
- Spiritwood: 2 fatalities
- Outlook: 2 fatalities
- Lumsden: 2 fatalities
- Prince Albert: 1 fatality
- Kamsack: 1 fatality
- Nipawin: 1 fatality
- Rosthern: 1 fatality
- Swift Current Rural/Morse: 1 fatality
- Beauval: 1 fatality
Knelsen noted that four main factors consistently contribute to fatal crashes in the province: lack of seatbelt use, speeding, impairment, and distracted driving.
“Please, put your seatbelt on, respect speed limits, don’t take drugs and/or alcohol when you know you have to drive, and pay attention to your surroundings at all times,” Knelsen said. “It can save your life, and someone else’s life.”
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