Submitted
February’s traffic safety blitz, Operation Crossroads, will take place Feb. 14 and 15 province-wide. The two-day blitz will focus on traffic safety at intersections.
Law enforcement will be paying extra attention to motorists or pedestrians violating traffic laws at intersections, such as failing to yield to pedestrians or oncoming traffic, disobeying stops signs or traffic lights, or jaywalking.
“There are more than 29,000 collisions on Saskatchewan roads each year and more than 40 per cent of them take place at intersections,” said Andrew Cartmell, President and CEO of SGI. “We want to remind motorists and pedestrians to pay attention to both other vehicles and the basic rules of the road, especially at high-traffic areas such as intersections.”
On average, around 13,000 collisions each year occur at intersections across the province, resulting in nearly 4,000 injuries and 37 fatalities.
Officers will also enforce other traffic safety infractions, such as seatbelt and cellphone use violations, impaired driving and speeding, which are some of the leading causes of collisions and fatalities on Saskatchewan roads.
“Traffic safety at intersections is vital to public safety because side-impact collisions present greater potential for injury and loss of life,” said Chief Troy Hagen, President of the Saskatchewan Association of Chiefs of Police. “When vehicles approach each other at right angles, it is imperative that drivers obey traffic signals and follow the rules of the road; to do otherwise often brings a tragic result.”
Last month’s Operation Hang Up, Buckle Up traffic safety blitz resulted in 168 tickets being issued to motorists, including 50 for improper or non-seatbelt use and 33 for cellphone use while driving.
