With the cold winter months in our rear-view mirror and summer straight ahead, Manitobans are hitting the road with adventure on the mind, but speed can stop you in your tracks. It just takes seconds to have adventure turn into tragedy. Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI) and the Manitoba RCMP are here to help you avoid having speed ruin your next great adventure.
Music up, windows down, and clear, dry roads ahead can make a driver forget that no matter the road conditions, there can be severe consequences to driving too fast. At high speeds, your field of vision is reduced and your reaction window shortens. Like switching from a wide-angle lens to a zoom lens, you can easily miss what is happening around you and lose your opportunity to react.
Even small increases in speed can make a difference between life and death. MPI data shows that at 30 kilometres per hour, pedestrian fatality risk is around five per cent. At 65 kilometres per hour, that fatality risk jumps to 80 per cent.
In the last three years, 68 people have died and 2,220 have been injured in collisions on Manitoba roadways with speed as a contributing factor to the crash. The number of speed-related collisions in Manitoba from 2022-2024 totaled 10,499.
“Speeding is one of the most dangerous high-risk driving behaviours we see in Manitoba,” said Maria Campos, MPI Vice President & Chief Customer and Product Officer. “The thousands of crashes and the high number of fatalities is very concerning, and we want to make sure that law enforcement have the tools they need to help curb this behaviour. We are proud to support the purchase of Automated Licence Plate Readers, and continue to fund Enhanced Enforcement Programs focused solely on speed. These tactics help in cracking down on dangerous behaviour, but the best outcome is drivers keeping their speed within the legal limit.”
From 2022-2024, law enforcement issued 1,326 Serious Offence Notices for drivers exceeding the speed limit by more than 50 kilometres per hour.
“Road safety has been and will continue to be a top priority for the RCMP,” said Staff Sergeant Shelley Lepla, Manitoba RCMP Traffic Services Enforcement Commander. “We are committed to working to decrease speeding and speed-related collisions throughout Manitoba.”
Summer adventure does await, so let’s all slow down, enjoy the ride, and, most importantly, reach our destinations safely.
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For more information, please contact:
Manitoba Public Insurance
Media Relations Unit
204-985-7300 [email protected]
Or
Manitoba RCMP
Media Relations Office
204-983-8497 or [email protected]