Death toll on roads keeps rising

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 04/11/2016 (3514 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Earlier this week, the Sun brought you the stories of two families who were torn apart by the untimely deaths of loved ones.

Two young Westman fathers — one a recent immigrant from El Salvador who was driving home to MacGregor with another man who also died, and another a 27-year-old Brandon man — were killed one week ago today in two separate collisions along the Trans-Canada Highway.

Both men leave behind devastated families — wives and children, friends and relatives. Both were remembered as caring, loving fathers.

That particular weekend was a deadly one on Manitoba highways, as a total of six people died in collisions across the province — four as a result of drivers going the wrong way on divided highways.

Two women also died on Sunday morning on Highway 75 south of Winnipeg when two cars collided head-on. There was also a sixth person who died in Berens River, as part of a hit-and-run.

And alcohol was believed to be a factor in at least two of these incidents.

“It’s sad that every weekend, we’re still losing people to impaired driving and all these other causes,” RCMP traffic services Sgt. Mark Hume told the CBC. “I don’t understand what people are thinking.”

This year, in fact, has been exceptionally bad for highway traffic accidents. Just last month, well before the deadly collisions of last weekend, Manitoba Public Insurance issued a dire warning to motorists that Manitoba road fatalities for 2016 had already reached 85 deaths as of Oct. 20 — the date of the MPI media release.

That far exceeds last year’s total of 78 for all of 2015 — and there’s still the better part of two months to go.

Unfortunately the death tally keeps rising.

As reported in today’s paper, one woman was killed and another left in critical condition on Wednesday evening following a rollover near Birdtail Sioux First Nation. RCMP responded to a single-vehicle rollover on Highway 355, just west of Highway 83. The two women were not wearing seatbelts, and had been ejected from the vehicle when it entered the road’s north ditch and rolled several times.

Again, speed and alcohol are believed to have been a factor. This is yet another terrible collision claiming the life of a young woman who did not need to die.

Manitoba continues to have among the toughest penalties in the country for those found to be driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

And yet, it seems odd that in spite of all the efforts of groups like Mothers Against Drunk Driving, police enforcement and checkstops, and constant campaigns by MPI and others, that Manitoba residents still seem to be making the same mistake of getting behind the wheel after consuming alcohol.

Earlier in October, Manitoba RCMP laid 12 impaired driving charges over the Thanksgiving long weekend as part of Operation Impact. That same weekend there were three people killed in highway crashes in two separate collisions.

This is simply unacceptable. All drivers have a responsibility to themselves, their passengers and to other motorists and citizens to find another way home after enjoying some drinks with friends.

With the Christmas season soon upon us, the unfortunate reality is that there will be more families affected by untimely deaths before the year is over.

There are families mourning their loved ones this year who didn’t need to go through such trauma and heartache. For all motorists, please drive safely.