November 16, 2010

Fatal motor vehicle collisions on the rise ─ Manitoba Public Insurance challenging motorists to practice road safety

Disturbing road fatality statistics have caused Manitoba Public Insurance to issue a challenge to all motorists to evaluate their driving behavior on the eve of National Day of Remembrance for Road Crash victims.

A total of 24 people have been killed this year on Manitoba roadways from September 1 to October 31, announced Manitoba’s public auto insurer.

“This is a disturbing statistic, heightened by tragic events recently in Winnipeg and The Pas,” said Ted Hlynsky, Vice-President Claims Control and Safety Operations with Manitoba Public Insurance. “On average, about 100 people are killed on Manitoba highways each year.”

Recently in Winnipeg two young women were killed after their vehicle was involved in a collision. Last month near The Pas five people were killed in a two-vehicle, head-on crash.

Last year in Manitoba 86 people were killed on Manitoba roadways, while 92 were killed in 2008. Between the years 2005-2009, an average of 104 people have been killed in vehicle crashes on Manitoba roadways.

About 30 per cent of road fatalities in Manitoba are alcohol related, while more than 25 per cent are speed related. Failure to use a seatbelt played a role in about one-third of road fatalities in the province.

Tomorrow is the third-annual National Day of Remembrance for Road Crash victims, coming at a particularly somber time in Manitoba in the wake of the number of road deaths recorded over an eight week span.

“While many of these 24 fatal crashes are still under investigation, we know many of these road fatalities were totally preventable,” said Hlynsky. “I would encourage everyone to be a friend, help a friend and save a friend. If you see someone who has been drinking, take their keys and offer to drive them home. Or extend an invitation to sleep over.

“Friends help friends. If you can see that someone is driving dangerous, don’t be afraid to tell them to stop. Save a friend.”

The National Day of Remembrance for Road Crash Victims in Canada is a day set aside to remember those killed or seriously injured on Canadian roads, often in avoidable collisions, and those left to deal with the sudden and unexpected loss of people they love.

Manitoba Public Insurance is committed to encouraging safe driving behavior and is an active member of the Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators (CCMTA), which is spearheading the third-annual National Day of Remembrance for road crash victims.