It appears that many Saskatchewan residents are in a hurry to get places according to SGI’s results for February’s Traffic Safety Spotlight, which was centred around speeding. 

The results showed that over 4,000 tickets were issued last month for speed-related offences throughout the province. 

Manager of Media Relations for SGI, Tyler McMurchy, said this demonstrates how speeding is a prevalent issue all year long. 

“What we see typically is the warmer months tend to lead to more speeding offences,” he stated. “However, in February, police managed to catch 4,251 drivers for some kind of speeding or aggressive driving offence including a significant number of them for very egregious speeding offences.” 

These egregious offences included the following: 

 

  • 3,767 tickets for exceeding the speed limit; 

  • 164 tickets for exceeding it by more than 35 km/h; 

  • 35 tickets for exceeding it by more than 50 km/h; 

  • 144 tickets for exceeding 60 km/h when passing emergency vehicles or tow trucks with lights activated; 

  • 59 tickets for speeding in a school zone; 

  • 26 tickets for driving at a speed that is greater than reasonable and safe; 

  • 18 tickets for stunting; and 

  • 3 tickets for street racing. 

McMurchy noted that this time of year especially, there are additional hazards to watch out for on the road. 

“One of the things that people have to realize when they're speeding at this time of year is that with the fluctuating temperatures, it can snow, it can melt, you're dealing with all kinds of different weather conditions, all kinds of different road conditions,” he explained. “It could be very unpredictable, so it’s very important to watch your speed. Obey those posted speed limits.  

“Sometimes you'll have to drive even a little bit lower than the speed limit when road conditions are compromised. So, these are all things that drivers want to keep in mind. It's not just about avoiding a speeding ticket; it's about avoiding the collisions that can result from driving too fast.” 

Other results from February included 613 tickets issued for distracted driving, including 529 for using a cellphone; 416 tickets for seatbelt and occupant restraint offences; and 342 impaired driving offences, including 212 Criminal Code charges and 130 roadside suspensions for violating provincial limits.