The cold winter months are in the rear-view mirror, and summer is right around the corner.
You may be thinking about hitting the road for an adventure. Whether through Riding Mountain National Park or to witness the beauty in the Jewel of the Parkland (Roblin), it's a great feeling to be on the open road with ideal conditions and sunny skies.
It's also important to practice driving safely and, most importantly, to obey the speed limit. Data from Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI) shows that at 30 kilometres per hour, pedestrian fatality risk is around five per cent.
That jumps to 80 per cent when driving at 65 kilometres per hour. 68 people have died and 2,220 have been injured in collisions on Manitoba roadways, with speed as the contributing factor to the crash in the last three years. There were 10,499 speed-related collisions in our province from 2022 to 2024.
Cst. Barry Kirby is with the Dauphin RCMP.
"We do tend to be out and about more in the summer when there is a lot more traffic," said Kirby. "There are times when we can't because of other factors, but we try our best to be out on the roadways as much as possible."
From 2022 to 2024, 1,326 Serious Offence Notices were issued to drivers for exceeding the speed limit by more than 50 kilometres per hour.
"Sometimes when people are on the highway and it's not very busy, they want to open it up a bit and drive faster," continued Kirby. "You may think you're in control of your vehicle, but if there's a big pothole or someone else pulls out in front of you. There are just way too many risks involved with speeding."
In Dauphin, Kirby emphasizes that the RCMP's top priority is cracking down on speeders and reckless drivers.
"Traffic collisions are a leading cause of death in Manitoba and across the country, so we focus on it a lot," ended Kirby. "If people are out there and see someone speeding or driving recklessly, it's important to call us. We're always open to receiving those calls if people see something that's concerning to them on the roadways."
Enjoy all of your summer drives, but do so safely.
