According to information recently released by Saskatchewan Government Insurance (SGI), a total of 57 people died in the province in 2016 due to impaired drivers – up from 54 in 2015.
The insurer also said that 29 of the fatalities occurred on provincial highways, 15 on rural roads, seven on urban streets, and six on First Nations roads.
CBC reported that Saskatchewan’s impaired driving rate is the highest in the country; 46% of all accidents in the province involved alcohol, according to recent statistics.
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Similarly, about 37% of all traffic fatalities on urban streets involved alcohol, while 40% occurred on provincial highways, 58% on rural roads, and 86% on First Nations roads.
While most people fatally injured in impaired driving collisions were drivers, 11 were passengers and nine were pedestrians.
SGI’s statistics show that young people between the ages of 16 and 21 were most at-risk for roadway casualties involving alcohol. Although that age group makes up only 9% of drivers in the province, they are involved in 19% of the collisions recorded.
The public insurer also found that most collisions, unsurprisingly, occur during the weekends. On the other hand, Mondays and Tuesday saw the least number of accidents per week.
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