Saskatchewan Government Insurance (SGI) has revealed that fewer people were killed on Saskatchewan roads last year than in any single year since records started being kept in the 1950s.
SGI’s preliminary statistics showed that 71 people were killed in collisions in 2019 – a far cry from the period between 2009 and 2019, when the province averaged nearly 140 road fatalities per year. The previous record low was 73, which occurred in 1951 when there were about a quarter the number of registered vehicles on the roads as there are today.
“This number makes it clear that many Saskatchewan people have decided it’s 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,” said Minister Responsible for SGI Joe Hargrave. “I want to thank all Saskatchewan residents who are working to make our roads safer, and I’d like to particularly acknowledge the work by law enforcement, media, and families affected by distracted or impaired driving.”
However, Hargrave warned that “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.”
“When people make the decision to drive safely, it literally saves lives,” said Andrew Cartmell, SGI president and chief executive officer. “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. We ask you change your habits and become part of making this the province with the safest roads in Canada.”
