Nearly 500 charges laid against Saskatchewan drivers speeding past emergency vehicles

Saskatchewan’s Ministry of Highways and Infrastructure announced on Monday that nearly 500 charges were laid in connection with a passing emergency vehicles safety blitz.

The ministry’s Highways Transport Patrol (HTP) teamed up with the RCMP and other agencies for a “slow to 60 km/hr when passing emergency vehicles” enforcement initiative, the provincial government said in a press release. The initiative, announced on Oct. 19, targeted drivers who did not abide by the 60 km/hr law when passing emergency vehicles.

A total of 478 charges were laid.

“Educating travellers to slow to 60 km/hr when passing emergency vehicles is very important,” Highways and Infrastructure Minister Nancy Heppner said in the release. “We need to ensure traffic laws are followed so first responders can do their important work as safely as possible.”

This initiative is part of ongoing effort to educate the public on the critical importance of slowing to 60 km/hr when passing emergency vehicles working near the right-of-way, with their lights flashing. It is the law to slow 60 km/hr when passing HTP officers, RCMP, and other law enforcement workers, as well as fire trucks, ambulances, and tow truck operators working in the highway right-of-way.

Fines start at $210 for speeding 10 km/hr faster than the maximum 60 km/hr. [click image below to enlarge]

When it announced the blitz on Oct. 19, the ministry told the story of a motorist who drove by a patrol officer at 129 km/hr, which could have resulted in a $500 fine for the driver. “The roads were icy and I was conducting a vehicle inspection,” HTP officer Andrew Lindsay said in a statement at the time. “My lights were on and I didn’t see the oncoming vehicles. Had I taken a step back it would have been a very different story for my family that day.”

The HTP is part of the ministry that consists of uniformed traffic officers who primarily conduct on-road enforcement by stopping commercial vehicles and by operating vehicle inspection stations.