SGI preaches safety ahead of long weekend travels

The May long weekend has arrived.

While the weekend is widely known as the unofficial start of summer, SGI would like to remind drivers that switching into summer mode doesn’t mean taking a break from any responsibilities behind the wheel.

With any long weekend, highways become congested as people flock to the cabin or campsite getaway.

SGI spokesman Tyler McMurchy said that always presents some added dangers.

“If you’re heading out on the roads for a road trip, you know a lot of people will have that same idea,” he said. “So even though you might be kicking into summer mode, the one thing you need to stay vigilant about is keeping yourself and others safe on the road.”

SGI says you are twice as likely to be involved in a collision during a long weekend. Each year an average of 15 people die from collisions on a long weekend in Saskatchewan, with more than 500 people sustaining injuries.

“Over the past few years, we’ve seen an average between 260 to 300 collisions, an average of 60 to 90 injuries and one or two fatalities just on the May long weekend alone,” McMurchy said.

Impaired driving and speeding are two of the leading causes of collisions on Saskatchewan roads. McMurchy added that distracted driving is high on that list as well, with around 500 to 600 people ticketed for the offences each month.

“It’s also statistically the No. 1 cause of collisions when it comes to human factors,” McMurchy said.

Police will be on the lookout for distracted drivers this weekend, handing out $280 fines and four demerits with each infraction.

Switching over to summer also means accommodating the influx of road construction.

McMurchy is pleading with drivers to embrace the zipper merge. After reducing your speed to 60 kilometres per hour in an orange construction zone, make sure you are utilizing both lanes rather than clogging one up well in advance of the merge point.

SGI has made a handy how-to video to help speed up your weekend travels.