By Taylor MacPherson

Distracted drivers cause more collisions, injuries than drunk drivers: SGI

May 24, 2017 | 5:00 PM

Although impaired drivers cause more fatalities on Saskatchewan roads than any other group, drivers using their cellphones are responsible for far more injuries and represent the leading cause of collisions across the province.

According to SGI, impaired drivers caused 54 deaths, 580 injuries and 1,183 collisions in 2015 (the most recent year with complete data available). In the same year distracted drivers were responsible for 36 fatalities, but caused 5,686 collisions which led to 802 injuries.

Impaired driving remains the number one cause of traffic fatalities in the province, accounting for nearly 45 per cent of all the deaths on Saskatchewan roads. Distracted driving is the second leading cause of fatalities and the leading cause of collisions.

SGI spokesperson Tyler McMurchy said both practices are highly irresponsible, but said the tendency of impaired drivers to ignore speed limits may contribute to the higher number of fatalities.

“They might be going a little bit faster and making some really poor decisions behind the wheel,” McMurchy said. “Distracted, you might just be looking down and going slower, so you might see more fender benders as a result.”

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Although distracted drivers do not cause as many deaths as impaired drivers, McMurchy said that shouldn’t diminish the potentially-lethal consequences of driving without proper attention.

“Thirty-six fatalities in a single year for something that’s 100 per cent preventable is quite alarming,” he said.

On Jan. 1 new legislation was enacted in Saskatchewan that strengthened the laws and penalties for both offences. Now any driver caught with a blood-alcohol content over .04 is subject to an automatic three-day vehicle seizure, McMurchy said, and drivers may not hold, view, use or manipulate any type of electronic communication device while behind the wheel.

On a local level, the numbers show distracted and impaired driving are roughly equal issues in Prince Albert, with similar numbers of charges issued for both crimes in the past year.

Prince Albert police officers issued 117 impaired driving charges between May 15, 2016 and May 15, 2017 (including charges of refusing to provide a breath sample). During the same period 116 people were charged with using electronic communication devices while behind the wheel, and officers handed out 77 tickets for driving without due care and attention.

Police spokesperson Sgt. Travis Willie told paNOW both are serious issues that officers are aggressively combating, but distracted drivers can be more difficult for police to nab because drunk or drug-impaired drivers will continue to show signs of impairment after the fact.

Willie said education and public awareness are huge factors when it comes to keeping people safe on the road. While they can’t keep statistics for the number of collisions they have prevented through public education and visible policing, Willie said he is hopeful residents of the city and province are picking up on the message.

“With the amount of initiatives that are going on with SGI and the Prince Albert Police Service, I sure hope we’re getting through to people and we’re making a difference,” Willie said.

Taylor.macpherson@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @TMacPhersonNews