Brandon police to be out in full force on Thanksgiving weekend as part of road safety campaign

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This article was published 07/10/2017 (3136 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Brandon Police Service will be out in full force this Thanksgiving long weekend, as part of the nationwide Operation Impact campaign.

Officers will crack down on impaired driving, speeding, distracted driving and failure to use seatbelts, in an effort to keep people safe on the roads.

“People should expect to see more police out on the road stopping vehicles, either … one at a time or conducting checkstop-type programs where vehicles are waved in en masse,” said BPS Sgt. Guy Roberts.

Nearly 90 people are killed and more than 400 are seriously injured on Manitoba’s roadways each year on average, according to The Road to Zero: Manitoba Road Safety Plan 2017-2020.

“I don’t think you need to look too far outside of our city, given the tragic circumstances (Friday morning) and on Tuesday night, where it seems evident that people obviously aren’t getting the message,” Roberts said.

As reported in today’s Brandon Sun, police say that speed and alcohol were factors in a serious collision that was reported at 2:39 a.m. Friday on the 500 block of Lorne Avenue. A 19-year-old passenger from rural Manitoba was airlifted to a Winnipeg hospital with serious injuries.

On Tuesday evening, just after 8:30 p.m., police responded to a three-vehicle collision on Kirkcaldy Drive that sent six people to hospital, including a five-year-old child. Speed, alcohol and drug use are believed to be factors in the accident.

“Despite all of the public campaigns and enforcement programs that occur throughout the year, people just don’t seem to get the message that drinking and driving, speeding and distracted driving, failing to use seatbelts results in death,” Roberts said.

Since 2013, distracted driving has contributed to more vehicle collisions in the province than any other recorded factor, according to the Manitoba Road Safety Plan. Between 2012-15, distracted driving was a contributing factor in 32 per cent of motor vehicle collisions in Manitoba causing death and 22 per cent of collisions resulting in serious injury.

“Despite our frustration and the public’s frustration, when things like this happen, there’s real people and families that are tragically affected, probably for the rest of their lives — from the trauma that they suffer personally, or by extension because a family member is injured or killed,” Roberts said. “The greatest tragedy is that people suffer as a result of not paying attention to the message we’re trying to bring to them.”

External distractions include other vehicles, cyclists, pedestrians and advertising. Common internal distractions include handling of a hand-held electronic device,

in-vehicle visual technology, interacting with passengers, eating, grooming or reading. Under Manitoba’s Highway Traffic Act, using a hand-operated electronic device while driving has been prohibited since July 2010.

“With smart phone ownership increasing and

new visual technologies continuously being introduced in vehicles, it is reasonable to believe distraction will remain an important safety issue now and in the future,” states the Manitoba Road Safety Plan.

Operation Impact kicked off on Friday and runs through Monday. Officers in both marked and unmarked police vehicles will be patrolling the streets focusing on traffic infractions specifically related to aggressive, distracted and impaired driving.

“People need to be alert that we’re going to be doing our part to try and keep people safe on the roads this Thanksgiving weekend,” Roberts said.

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