The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Despite a long-term trend of the number of alcohol-related collisions declining in Saskatchewan, alcohol continues to be the leading cause of traffic fatalities in the province. According to preliminary statistics from SGI's Traffic Accident Information System (TAIS), 39 per cent of all fatal collisions in 2003 involved alcohol. This is consistent with the average over the past three years. Fifty-eight people died in collisions involving alcohol in 2003. See 'Safety' P.# Con't from P.# In 2002, there were 51 fatalities in alcohol-related collisions. The three-year average is 59. "Drinking and driving is still a significant road safety problem in Saskatchewan," says Kwei Quaye, Manager of SGI's Traffic Safety Program Evaluation. "All deaths from driving after drinking are preventable, and we will continue to work with the public and law enforcement to raise awareness of this issue." Also of concern is the lack of seat belt use in rural and First Nations communities. Fifty-eight per cent of deaths on rural roads involved unbelted occupants. All of the fatalities reported on First Nations roads involved unbelted people. "Many times people in rural areas don't buckle up because they are travelling on roads where there is little to no traffic, but last year over 90 per cent of the fatalities where the victim was not wearing a seat belt were single-vehicle collisions," says Quaye.
