Spike in collisions on Manitoba roads during Thanksgiving prompts warning from MPI – Winnipeg

In response to the province’s car insurance coverage company, Thanksgiving weekend is understood in Manitoba because the worst lengthy weekend for collisions and fatalities.

Whereas lengthy weekends typically usually see a rise in highway collisions, Manitoba Public Insurance coverage (MPI) says Thanksgiving has confirmed to be essentially the most problematic.

“There’s roughly 900 collisions over that four-day lengthy weekend,” Brian Smiley, a spokesperson for MPI, informed International Information.

“Forty-eight per cent of these collisions happen on Friday. That’s in comparison with solely 11 per cent on Monday,” he continued.

A Canada-wide marketing campaign geared toward educating drivers on lengthy weekend highway security was launched earlier this week, full with extra enforcement efforts.

“We all know that the 220 police forces throughout our nation might be taking part on this marketing campaign, so you’ll be able to anticipate to see added enforcement this weekend,” stated Chief Robert Martin.

Martin sits because the co-chair of the visitors security committee for the Canadian Affiliation of Chiefs of Police.

Martin says most lengthy weekend collisions are simply avoidable.

“It’s often brought on by driver situation or driver neglect: not carrying their seat belt, utilizing their cellular phone, drug or alcohol-impaired driving.”

Apart from Thanksgiving, the lengthy weekend with essentially the most collisions in Manitoba is Louis Riel Day in February.

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