The RCMP are asking and reminding Saskatchewan drivers to put your seatbelt on, respect speed limits, don’t take drugs or alcohol when you have to drive and pay attention to your surroundings. Inspector Lee Knelsen, Operations Officer of Saskatchewan RCMP Traffic Services, spoke to reporters Wednesday in hopes of getting the message out after 23 fatal collisions took place between June 1 and July 21.

The 23 collisions resulted in 27 deaths. There were 12 fatal collisions between July 10 and 21 alone.  The 12 collisions resulted in the deaths of 17 people. Half of the collisions had alcohol or drugs as a contributing factor.

The collisions were spread out across multiple RCMP detachments in Saskatchewan including North Battleford, Spiritwood, Outlook, and Lumsden each had two fatalities. Kamsack, Prince Albert, Nipawin, Rosthern, Swift Current Rural/Morse, and Beauval all had one fatality each. Maple Creek had the most deaths with three fatalities.

Inspector Knelsen said compared to the same period last year, this is a 77 per cent increase in fatal collisions and a 108 per cent increase in the number of lives lost.

“In Saskatchewan, the same four factors contribute to fatal collisions: seatbelts, speed, impairment and distracted driving.”

Knelsen urged people to make safe decisions when driving, such as not driving when impaired and wearing a seat belt.