The Manitoba Driver, from Manitoba Public Insurance
October 2008

About 400 words (See related story on wildlife)
Country driving carries its own risks

Those who live in rural areas of the province sometimes count themselves lucky to be able to drive in an environment free of big-city congestion and the traffic dangers that come with it.

But hold your horses: wide-open places bring driving hazards all their own, as shown in the recently released 2007 Traffic Collision Statistics Report by Manitoba Public Insurance.

Some of the more sobering findings are:

• Fatalities are more than twice as likely to occur on rural roadways as they are in urban areas
• Injuries resulting from rollovers are almost 10 times more frequent in rural areas
• Injuries sustained when a vehicle runs off the road are almost seven times as likely in rural areas

“Provincewide, Winnipeg still accounts for 57 per cent of total collisions for 2007,” says Clif Eden, Manager of Road Safety Programming for Manitoba Public Insurance. “But because of the speeds associated with highway driving, it’s the rural mishaps that tend to be the most devastating.”

Rural roadway collisions accounted for more than two-thirds of all fatal collisions in 2007.

Reaction times dwindle as speed increases. And when you add unpredictable wildlife into the equation, highway driving holds added risks not seen in the city. For example, in urban areas, 86 per cent of crashes were “motor vehicle to motor vehicle,” while in rural areas, 45.5 per cent were “motor vehicle to animal.”

Road conditions are another factor. Last year there were 280 collisions on gravel or dirt roads, resulting in three deaths and 100 injuries.

Over the past 10 years, traffic collisions in Manitoba have increased by 8.9 per cent. Injury rates, however, have gone down by 12.5 per cent, which is in part due to higher seat belt use and better safety features in motor vehicles.

Overall, more accidents occurred on Fridays (16.5 per cent) than on any other day of the week. Fatal crashes occurred more often on weekends, which includes Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Although Manitoba has its share of inclement weather and challenging driving conditions, most fatal accidents (60 per cent) take place on dry roads and under clear skies.

“Obey the rules of the road, drive defensively and don’t take chances,” Eden says. “You only have to lose your focus for a second, but the consequences could last forever.”

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© 2008 Manitoba Public Insurance

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