Spike in road fatalities disturbing to Manitoba Public Insurance

Manitoba has witnessed a 42% hike in road fatalities in the province over the last three months compared to the average number of fatalities over the same time period in the previous five years, Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI) reported Friday.

Since Sept. 1, MPI notes that 34 people have been killed in vehicle collisions compared to 24 fatalities on average in the previous five years.

The deaths since Sept. 1 – almost 50% of this year’s total – bring Manitoba’s 2015 total to 71 people who have died as a result of collisions on public roadways. That is already more than the total number of fatalities recorded for all of 2014 last year.

“Sadly, many of these fatalities have involved not using seatbelts, head-on collisions and driver inattention,” Ward Keith, MPI’s vice-president of business development and communications, and chief product officer, says in a statement.

With winter coming, drivers are encouraged to give themselves more time to arrive at destinations, drive cautiously, be patient and to drive in a courteous manner, reports MPI. Motorists are also reminded to drive to road conditions.

“Speed, impaired driving, distracted driving and failure to wear seatbelts are all high-risk driving behaviours that can result in tragic outcomes,” Keith says. “Driving safely and defensively can truly be the difference between life and death,” he emphasizes.