Victoria Day long weekend celebrations might look a bit different this year, but safety should still remain a priority.
That’s the message to Manitobans from the Shock Trauma Air Rescue Society (STARS).
Chad Saxon with STARS Manitoba says the air rescue unit tends to see an increase in calls on long weekends — particularly on the Victoria Day long weekend.
“We just want to remind people to keep safety at the forefront of what they do”.
In 2019, STARS Manitoba crews flew 17 missions from May 17-20, an average of more than four per day.
Chad says many of those calls were related to ATV’s and motor vehicle accidents.
“We’ve seen a significant increase in ATV accidents over the last 1 to 2 years”, and says last year was particularly bad — with around 30 incidents involving ATV’s.
STARS is calling on people to wear a helmet, and observe speed limits on trails, especially if on unfamiliar trails.
For more information about STARS, click here.
